A Powerful New Tool in the Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer
A breakthrough combining imaging and therapy
Pancreatic cancer is often called the “silent killer”—its symptoms appear late, and by the time it’s diagnosed, the disease is usually advanced. With a five-year survival rate below 10%, researchers around the world are racing to find new ways to detect and treat this deadly cancer earlier.
Now, a team from Osaka University has unveiled a promising approach that could revolutionize pancreatic cancer care. Their research combines diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy into one innovative technique known as theranostics.
Published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, their work focuses on a unique protein called glypican-1 (GPC1) and how it can help identify—and destroy—pancreatic tumor cells with remarkable precision.
What Makes Theranostics Different?
Traditional cancer treatments usually involve separate steps for diagnosis and therapy. Theranostics, on the other hand, merges both into a single system.
This approach uses the same molecule—often a monoclonal antibody—that can:
Detect tumors using imaging isotopes, and
Deliver therapy using therapeutic radioisotopes.
The Osaka University researchers designed a GPC1-targeted monoclonal antibody that can be “tagged” with two radioactive isotopes:
Zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr) — for diagnostic PET imaging, and
Astatine-211 (²¹¹At) — for alpha-particle therapy.
This dual-use antibody allows clinicians to both see and treat tumors with one molecule.
Targeting Glypican-1: A New Way to Find Pancreatic Tumors
Glypican-1 (GPC1) is a protein found in high concentrations on the surface of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells but rarely expressed in healthy tissues.
“We decided to target GPC1 because it is overexpressed in PDAC but occurs in very low levels in normal tissues,” says Dr. Tadashi Watabe, the study’s lead author.
Using a mouse model implanted with human pancreatic tumors, the team injected the GPC1 antibody labeled with ⁸⁹Zr. PET imaging over seven days showed strong and sustained uptake of the antibody in tumors, indicating that it could accurately identify cancer cells. When GPC1 expression was turned off, the antibody uptake nearly disappeared—proving the binding was highly specific.
Alpha Therapy: Precision Destruction of Cancer Cells
To test the therapeutic potential, the researchers switched to ²¹¹At-labeled GPC1 antibodies for alpha-particle therapy.
Alpha particles deliver intense bursts of radiation over very short distances, which allows them to kill cancer cells efficiently while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
When the mice received the ²¹¹At-GPC1 treatment, the tumors showed:
DNA double-strand breaks in cancer cells,
Significant reduction in tumor growth, and
No effect in control groups lacking GPC1 targeting.
“Both radiolabeled versions of the GPC1 antibody showed excellent results,” explains Watabe. “⁸⁹Zr-GPC1 mAb achieved high tumor visualization, while ²¹¹At-GPC1 mAb successfully slowed tumor growth.”
A Step Toward Personalized Pancreatic Cancer Care
The results highlight the potential of radio-theranostics as a next-generation approach to cancer management—one that integrates early diagnosis, precise targeting, and individualized treatment.
In the future, this dual GPC1 antibody system could:
Enable early detection of pancreatic cancer through PET imaging.
Deliver localized alpha therapy to eliminate tumor cells.
Reduce side effects by sparing healthy tissues.
If successfully translated to clinical use, this strategy could dramatically improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma—one of the most difficult cancers to treat.
Key Takeaways
Study Origin: Osaka University, Japan
Cancer Type: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)
Innovation: Theranostic antibody targeting glypican-1 (GPC1)
Diagnostic Tool: Zirconium-89 (⁸⁹Zr) for PET imaging
Therapeutic Tool: Astatine-211 (²¹¹At) for alpha-particle therapy
Outcome: Successful tumor visualization and reduced growth in preclinical models
📚 Reference
Watabe T., Kabayama K., Naka S., et al.
Immuno-PET and Targeted α-Therapy Using Anti–Glypican-1 Antibody Labeled with ⁸⁹Zr or ²¹¹At: A Theranostic Approach for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2023).