The experimental drug MRK003 can destroy pancreatic cancer cells when used in combination with a chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine, scientists have found.

During their animal test David Tuveson and colleagues at the Cambridge Research Institute, found that using MRK003 with gemcitabine multiplied the effect of each drug on its own, Press TV reported.

MRK003 inhibits a crucial cell signaling pathway in both pancreatic cancer cells and the cells in the lining of blood vessels that supply the tumor with vital nourishment, scientists wrote in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

“We've discovered why these two drugs together set off a domino effect of molecular activity to switch off cell survival processes and destroy pancreatic cancer cells," Tuveson said.

This drug combination is being tested in a clinical trial managed by Cancer Research UK's Drug Development Office in partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

“We're delighted that the results of this important research are now being evaluated in a clinical trial, to test whether this might be a new treatment approach for patients with pancreatic cancer, although it will be some time before we're able to say how successful this will be in patients,” said Professor of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge Duncan Jodrell.

Around 8,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year and the disease is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
 

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