Animal research paved the way for a precision treatment for pancreatic cancer

A clinical trial in the UK will test for the first time a precision therapy for pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest cancers and for which treatments have remained largely unchanged for decades.   

Precision medicine uses the genetic characteristics of a patient’s tumour to define the treatments, improving outcomes and reducing side effects. These advances have been made possible due to decades of basic and translational research, including research in animals that allowed the development of strategies to tackle cancer. 

The PemOla trial at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge combines two drugs – pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy for cancer, and olaparib, already used as a treatment for tumours with changes in the BRCA genes. These genes, known for their role in breast and ovarian cancer, are also linked to an increased risk of other cancers, such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and melanoma.  

Pembrolizumab is widely used to treat several cancer types. It was first studied in humanised mice – mice that mimic human immune responses to cancer – and was shown to help the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. Olaparib was first developed for ovarian, breast and colorectal cancers, but it has since been shown to be effective in other cancers, including pancreatic cancer. It was originally tested in mice, where it was shown to kill cancer cells by preventing the repair of DNA damage.  

“Pancreatic cancer remains one of the hardest cancers to treat with very few available treatment options,” said Dr Pippa Corrie, oncologist and leader of the trial. “For the first time we’re taking a precision immunology approach to treatment, which we hope will have a transformative effect for the patients that are able to benefit.”