Mar 3, 2021 2:00pm A team led by scientists at China Medical University successfully targeted a section of the IL-17RB protein to shrink tumors in mice with pancreatic cancer. (By Manu5 (http://www.scientificanimations.com/wiki-images/) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive, and it s typically diagnosed late, resulting in few effective treatment options. Researchers led by China Medical University have found a possible way to inhibit this deadly tumor by targeting a molecular loophole in a cancer-promoting protein.
The protein is interleukin-17 receptor B (IL-17RB), and the team discovered that a small piece of synthetic peptide placed on the flexible loop region of the protein could impede its pro-cancer signaling. In a mouse model of pancreatic cancer, the peptide reduced tumor metastases and extended survival.