A Different Way of Thinking About How Pancreatic Cancer Starts

Cancer is thought to typically start from an accumulation of harmful genetic mutations that cause cells to break from their routine and divide uncontrollably. Charlie Murtaugh, Ph.D. published a study in the journal eLife showing that sometimes an accumulation of mutations is not enough. He and first author Nathan Krah talk about their results suggesting that in the context of pancreatic cancer, what pushes cells over the edge is a loss of cellular differentiation: mature cells lose the instructions that tell them how to do their designated job in the body. The authors describe their findings, how they might apply to other cancers, and how their work could potentially lead to a new approach toward cancer therapy.