A new study performed by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland shows that Prion, an abnormal protein is a biomarker of pancreatic cancer. According to NorthShore University HealthSystem, “[t]hey found that prion is incompletely processed in pancreatic cancer cells and binds to a molecule inside the cells called filamin A…By binding to filamin A, incompletely processed prion disrupts the tumor cells’ organization and signaling, causing more aggressive cancer growth”.

Additionally, the researchers found that patients with incompletely processed prion protein in their pancreatic cancer had considerably shorter survival rates than patients whose tumors didn’t have prion.

To learn more about pancreatic cancer, visit NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Cancer Center