Pancreatic cancer study finds 'vicious cycle'

Paul Chiao, Ph.D.

MD Anderson scientists have connected the dots between mutated versions of Kras, a gene that acts as a molecular on-off switch, and heightened activity of a protein complex that controls gene activation in cases of pancreatic cancer.

The study, headed by Paul Chiao, Ph.D., a professor in MD Anderson's Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, identified a "vicious cycle" of molecular activity and new potential target for drugs.

The research suggests interleukin-1 alpha as a potential therapeutic target, says Chiao. The study shows that mutationally activated Kras triggers a chain reaction, which activates inhibitor-blocking proteins. This in turn cycles back, perpetuating the loop.

Grants from the National Cancer Institute, including MD Anderson's Cancer Center Core Support Grant, funded the research.

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Demos T. Kyrazis, Ph.D., lives in Albuquerque, N.M. Following his third retirement in 1993, he and wife Joanne founded R-Cubed Inc., an engineering firm specializing in precision measurements of optical turbulence in the atmosphere, aero-optics and efficient extraction of wind energy. He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years, retiring as a colonel. He received his doctorate degree in applied science from the University of California Davis and holds a number of patents. He is a survivor of hairy cell leukemia and currently a prostate cancer patient at MD Anderson. He is on the Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization Advisory Group of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors.

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