A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer—the fourth most common
cause of cancer death in the U.S.—can be devastating. Due in part to aggressive
cell replication and tumor growth, pancreatic cancer progresses quickly and has
a low five-year survival rate (less than 5 percent).
GRP78, a protein that protects cells from dying, is more
abundant in cancer cells and tissue than in normal organs and is thought to
play a role in helping pancreatic cancer cells survive and thrive. Researchers
at the University of Minnesota have found triptolide, an extract of the Chinese
herb thunder god vine (Tirpterygium wilforii), suppresses GRP78, eventually
leading to pancreatic cancer cell death.