Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common type of pancreatic cancer, is notoriously deadly. Its lethal combo of being difficult to detect in the preliminary stages and a rapid mutation rate when exposed to treatments make diagnosing and dealing with the disease an arduous and almost impossible task. According to the Spanish National Cancer Research Center, the five-year survival rate after diagnosis is less than 10% (2026).
For years, scientists have mulled over how to combat this deplorable illness, including testing drugs that block the pathways that KRAS, a mutated gene that is understood by researchers to cause pancreatic cancer, uses for its signals (Mariano Barbacid Laboratory, 1970). However, the results were not promising. It was found that in clinical trials, the blockage of these pathways was to be toxic to the lab mice they were experimenting on, as stated by the Mariano Barbacid Laboratory. It seemed like researchers had hit a wall with their work; that is until Dr. Barbacid and his team made an incredible breakthrough.
Unlike previous therapies, which only inhibited one KRAS signaling molecule, their approach blocked three: RAF1, EGFR, and STAT3 (Liaki et al., 2025). When they did this, they found that all the mice’s tumors had regressed significantly and did not reappear. Barbacid’s team then developed a triple therapy treatment that consisted of KRAS inhibitor daraxonrasib, the drug afatinib, and protein degrader SD36 to target these molecules, and the result? The lab mice showed long-lasting tumor regression without any of the toxic side effects that were present in the previous pathway-blocking treatments (Lin, 2020). The developments made by Dr. Barbacid and his team, if used in humans, could help eliminate not just pancreatic cancers, but other diseases that mutate rapidly and thus are difficult to treat.
Dr. Mariano Barbacid and his team have made a revolutionary breakthrough in cancer research and treatment, and hopefully, their techniques will be used to save many human lives. For now, though, they are focused on further refining their treatment plan, identifying other nontoxic signal elements for tumors, and creating more inhibitors, as Mariano himself states.
References:
Liaki, V., Barrambana, S., Kostopoulou, M., Lechuga, C. G., Zamorano-Dominguez, E., Acosta, D., Morales-Cacho, L., Álvarez, R., Sun, P., Rosas-Perez, B., Barrero, R., Jiménez-Parrado, S., López-García, A., San Roman, M., López-Gil, J. C., Drosten, M., Sainz, B., Musteanu, M., Caleiras, E., & Dusetti, N. (2025). A targeted combination therapy achieves effective pancreatic cancer regression and prevents tumor resistance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(49). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523039122
Scientists Led by Mariano Barbacid at CNIO Removed Pancreatic Cancer in Mice. (2020). Our Cancer Stories. https://www.ourcancerstories.com/cancer-news/mariano-barbacid
Super User. (1970). Research – Mariano Barbacid Laboratory. Mariano Barbacid. https://barbacidlab.es/research
www.axel-k.com, & Gil, P. (2026, January 29). The group led by Barbacid at CNIO completely eliminates pancreatic tumors in mice with no resistance developing. CNIO. https://www.cnio.es/en/news/the-group-led-by-barbacid-at-cnio-completely-eliminates-pancreatic-tumours-in-mice-with-no-resistance-developing/
