Spanish researchers report major pancreatic cancer breakthrough in mice

Scientists in Spain have reported a promising pancreatic cancer breakthrough in mice, where a triple-drug therapy eliminated tumours by targeting the KRAS pathway, one of deadliest cancer mechanisms

Spanish scientist Dr Mariano Barbacid has found the cure for the most common type of pancreatic cancer. His team from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) has developed a targeted therapy that completely eliminated tumours in mouse models of the most common type of pancreatic cancer. This preclinical result is promising but has not yet been tested in humans and is not a cure.

 

A cure in animal models is a huge step closer to a possible treatment in humans for one of the most aggressive cancers, which has one of the highest mortality rates of any major cancer, at up to 97 per cent.

 

 

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that a carefully designed triple-drug therapy made tumours vanish in mice, without severe toxicity, by attacking the KRAS oncogene pathway, responsible for over 90 per cent of pancreatic cancers.

 

A team of scientists from the Spanish Cancer Research Centre, led by the renowned Dr Mariano Barbacid, has achieved the complete and permanent disappearance of pancreatic cancer in experimental models.  This discovery could make a difference in the fight against this disease. ???? pic.twitter.com/gcnn1hPKBk

— Embassy of Spain UK (@EmbSpainUK) January 28, 2026

 

Why pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer, is infamous for three reasons: it is usually detected late, spreads aggressively, and resists most existing treatments.

 

Fewer than one in ten patients survive five years after diagnosis. Standard chemotherapy often slows the disease only briefly, because the tumour rapidly adapts and finds new ways to grow. This is why pancreatic cancer has remained one of oncology’s toughest challenges.

What role does the KRAS gene play in pancreatic cancer?

At the heart of most pancreatic cancers lies a faulty gene called KRAS, which constantly sends signals telling cancer cells to grow and divide.

 

KRAS mutations are found in over 90 per cent of pancreatic cancers. For decades, scientists struggled to block it.

 

New KRAS-blocking drugs, including one called daraxonrasib, have shown promise and can extend survival. But cancer finds ways to grow. When one pathway is blocked, tumours often activate alternative routes — molecular detours that let them survive and return. In pancreatic cancer, this ability to “rewire” itself is a major reason single-drug treatments fail. 

How the Spanish team targeted pancreatic cancer

Instead of hitting one target, Dr Barbacid’s team attacked the cancer from three directions at once.

 

The first drug blocked the main KRAS growth signal.

 

The second shut down EGFR and HER2 pathways, which cancers often use as escape routes.

 

The third disabled STAT3, a stress-response system that helps tumour cells survive treatment.

 

In simple terms, the therapy cut the engine, sealed the exits, and disabled the emergency backup, all at the same time.

 

The results show that in mouse models designed to closely mimic human pancreatic cancer, tumours completely disappeared. Even more striking, they did not return for more than 200 days after treatment stopped.

 

The same effect was seen in genetically engineered mice and in tumours taken from human patients and grown in the laboratory.

 

The important finding of the study was that, unlike traditional chemotherapy, which often causes severe side effects, the triple-drug combination showed low toxicity in animals. The mice tolerated the treatment well, a crucial factor if the therapy is ever to move into human trials.

Does this mean pancreatic cancer has been cured?

The study demonstrates a potential cure in experimental models, not in people. However, experts say these results are compelling enough to justify moving towards carefully designed human studies.

 

The next steps include further validation, safety studies, and, if regulatory approvals and funding align, early-phase human clinical trials. However, this process will take years.

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