Scientists at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a potential new target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The study, published today in Cancer Cell, outlines the team’s discovery of a fungus-activated pathway that fuels the production of a molecule present in cancerous cells in the pancreas, opening a possible new treatment avenue for patients with this devastating disease.

Opioid painkillers are very effective when used to manage cancer-related pain, but they’re also highly addictive. Because abuse and misuse of this class of drugs is common, and because opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in New York State, doctors who treat patients with cancer face unique challenges when prescribing pain relievers.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists successfully competed for more than $36 million in grants from government agencies and private funders awarded in the second half of 2021 — including two prestigious “R01” Research Project awards from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for more than $3 million each.

In 2012, Seneca Nation Businessman J.C. Seneca formed the JC Seneca Foundation (JCSF) with a mission to form partnerships that promote the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual well-being of Native people and their surrounding communities. Since then, Seneca has realized that mission by supporting charitable programs such as It Takes a Tribe, providing sponsorships for initiatives including Bikers Against Child Abuse and The Ride for Dialysis, and forming partnerships with community health organizations such as G-Health Enterprises and Harmonia Collaborative Care. As JCSF moves into its second decade, Seneca is taking steps to further his foundation’s impact.