Pancreatic cancer that spreads to the liver is especially difficult to treat because the liver naturally suppresses immune responses, creating an environment where cancer can evade detection and thrive.

UCLA researchers have developed a nanoparticle that carries a combination treatment with an mRNA vaccine and a small immune-boosting molecule to the liver, reprogramming it to attack pancreatic cancer.

Lab studies showed the therapy shrank tumors that spread to the liver, prevented new ones and activated immune memory cells that could help stop pancreatic cancer from coming back.

Scientists have discovered a strategy to fight back against norovirus, a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Their new study, published in Science Translational Medicine, identifies powerful antibodies capable of neutralizing a wide range of norovirus strains. The finding could lead to the design of broadly effective norovirus vaccine, as well as the development of new therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis.

Scientists have uncovered the mechanism behind how aspirin could reduce the metastasis of some cancers by stimulating the immune system, in a new study primarily funded by the Medical Research Council. In the study, published in Nature, the scientists say that discovering the mechanism will support ongoing clinical trials, and could lead to the targeted use of aspirin to prevent the spread of susceptible types of cancer, and to the development of more effective drugs to prevent cancer metastasis.