A Nature Communications paper by Chey, Kashgari, McLeod and colleagues identified the inflammasome-associated protein ASC as a central regulator connecting innate immune signaling to mitochondrial metabolism in pancreatic cancer cells. The study shows ASC drives metabolic reprogramming that supports tumor growth. The finding provides a molecular bridge between inflammation and cancer metabolism, offering a potential target for therapies that simultaneously modulate immune sensing and tumor bioenergetics. Drug discovery teams focused on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma may evaluate ASC modulation as a complement to existing metabolic and immunotherapy strategies.