Pancreas News and Research

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The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to the small intestine. These enzymes help in the further breakdown of the carbohydrates, protein, and fat in the chyme.

Study reveals how bacterial collagenase efficiently breaks down collagen

Collagen is an important protein that helps build the tissues of humans and animals. It is very strong because it is made of three protein strands twisted tightly together like a rope. Because of this sturdy structure, ordinary protein-cutting enzymes usually cannot break it down.

3 Apr 2026

Metabolic pathways drive progression from pancreatic lesions to cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and has a low five-year survival rate.

3 Apr 2026

International researchers set new standards for studying tumor microbiota

Recent research shows that tumors in different organs host microbial communities capable of influencing cancer biology, immune responses, and the effectiveness of therapies, highlighting the need to standardize methods for studying intratumoral microbes.

2 Apr 2026

Imaging study measures pancreatic fat in children and teens

Higher fat content in the pancreas of children and adolescents with obesity is associated with an increased level of heart and metabolic risk factors, including higher than average body mass index (BMI), elevated diastolic blood pressure, higher levels of abdominal and liver fat, and insulin resistance, according to new research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May).

1 Apr 2026

Molecular test shows high sensitivity in detecting bile duct cancer

When patients develop a narrowing or blockage in the bile ducts – the tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder and intestines – physicians must determine whether the cause is cancer or a benign condition.

27 Mar 2026

Obesity-driven organ enlargement may boost cancer risk

Scientists at City of Hope® and TGen (part of City of Hope) are the first to explain a major mechanism for why gaining excess weight increases your risk of cancer.

26 Mar 2026

Kyoto University unveils noninvasive assessment for diabetes

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts to destroy insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Progressive loss of these cells destabilizes the body's glucose levels and drives the course of the disease, so preserving or restoring beta cell mass is a central treatment goal.

13 Mar 2026

Experimental therapy eliminates pancreatic precancerous cells in mice study

A new preclinical study in mice shows that precancerous cells in the pancreas can be eliminated before they have the chance to become tumors.

12 Mar 2026

Depleting a clotting protein fibrinogen could slow down pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that depleting a clotting protein made by the liver could slow down pancreatic cancer.

10 Mar 2026

Case report describes treatment of rare calcified solid pseudopapillary pancreatic tumor

A new case report was published in Volume 13 of Oncoscienceon February 7, 2026, titled "Massive calcified solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreatic head."

6 Mar 2026

Iron found essential for growth and survival of beta cells

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and UZ Brussel, has made a major breakthrough in the study of how our bodies maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

3 Mar 2026

Puberty reshapes DNA to worsen or reverse insulin resistance

This study uncovers epigenetic changes during puberty that correlate with insulin resistance, offering insights into childhood obesity and metabolic risk.

3 Mar 2026

Study reveals pancreatic cancer's early immune evasion tactics

A new study suggests that pancreatic cancer may start preparing to "hide" from the immune system long before the disease becomes full-blown cancer.

27 Feb 2026

Organ donation after circulatory death expands transplant opportunities

Organ donation after the heart stops beating, a practice called donation after circulatory death, has gone from rare to routine in the United States, a new study shows.

26 Feb 2026

Cyborg transplants may advance cell-based therapies for diabetes

A new electronic implant system can help lab‑grown pancreatic cells mature and function properly, potentially providing a basis for novel, cell-based therapies for diabetes.

19 Feb 2026

Aligning overnight fasting with sleep improves heart health

A new Northwestern Medicine study has personalized overnight fasting by aligning it with individuals' circadian sleep-wake rhythm - an important regulator of cardiovascular and metabolic function - without changing their caloric intake.

12 Feb 2026

Nervous system actively promotes pre-cancerous pancreatic lesions

Pancreatic cancer has a lot of nerve. Notoriously tricky to detect, the disease also often resists traditional therapy. So, researchers are urgently looking for new ways to disrupt tumor formation.

9 Feb 2026

Implantable immune scaffold predicts type 1 diabetes weeks before symptoms

The study highlights a presymptomatic phase in type 1 diabetes progression, using immune niches to track immune changes before blood sugar abnormalities.

4 Feb 2026

Study uncovers genes and proteins likely to play a causal role in Type 2 diabetes

An international study co-led by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Helmholtz Munich in Germany has uncovered hundreds of genes and proteins likely to play a causal role in Type 2 diabetes, many of which would have been missed by studies relying on blood samples alone.

29 Jan 2026

Umbilical cord blood markers may predict future type 1 diabetes

One day, there could be a new test to screen for type 1 diabetes, now that scientists have found markers in the blood of the umbilical cords of children who were later diagnosed with the disease.

29 Jan 2026