Study Found Pancreatic Tumors Resisted Immunotherapy by Recruiting Immune Cells for Protection

Clinical trials that blocked a protein that activated nearby macrophages showed promise in clinical trials.

Aug. 11, 2026

Key Highlights

Pancreatic tumors recruit immune cells to shield themselves, contributing to therapy resistance.
The protein EREG plays a key role in activating macrophages that support tumor survival.
Blocking EREG in mice significantly improved responses to immunotherapy, highlighting a new therapeutic target.
Existing clinical trials with EREG-blocking antibodies suggest potential for repurposing in pancreatic cancer.
This research offers hope for overcoming resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a deadly and hard-to-treat cancer.

6a7b5705f8b1668708876cf8 Pancreatic Cancer

A new study in Nature Communications found that pancreatic tumors resist immunotherapy by recruiting nearby immune cells to help protect them.

These findings point to a potential new strategy for overcoming resistance and improving cellular therapies.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. by 2030. CAR T-cell therapy has been effective against many blood cancers, but since pancreatic cancer manifests as solid tumors, early responses to the therapy have tended to fade and tumors have returned.

The research team tracked a population of cells that stopped dividing and laid in wait; they became more common after CAR T-cell treatment and began to behave like cancer stem cells. Dormant tumor cells were found to protect themselves by recruiting other immune cells and then releasing a protein (EREG) that activated nearby macrophages. Blocking EREG changed outcomes substantially in mice.

Using an antibody to block EREG also saw similar results, which could have potential for patients as a possible treatment. Therapies designed to block EREG were well tolerated in separate human clinical trials for low back pain, suggesting it could be tested in pancreatic cancer.