Optoacoustic tomography has been used for the detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma targeted by pH-low insertion peptide (pHLIP) conjugated to near-infrared fluorescent dye. It was proved that tumor targeting is pH dependent. The approach could have major implication for detection and monitoring of pancreatic and other cancers.

We have recently discovered that mast cells promote pancreatic tumorigenesis by exacerbating the cellular and extracellular signaling in the desmoplastic microenvironment. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that targeting mast cells can block the progression of pancreatic neoplasms and prolong the survival of tumor-bearing immunocompetent hosts.

Pancreatic tumor metabolism is rewired to facilitate survival and growth in a nutrient-depleted environment. This leads to a unique dependence on metabolic recycling and scavenging pathways, including NAD salvage. Targeting this pathway in pancreatic cancer disrupts metabolic homeostasis and impairs tumor growth.

Diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) has been recently discovered in the pancreatic beta cells where targets ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels, depolarizes the cell membrane and induces insulin secretion. However, whether Ap4A inhibit pancreatic K(ATP) channels by targeting protein channel complex itself was unknown. Therefore, we coexpressed pancreatic K(ATP) channel subunits, Kir6.2 and SUR1,...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the most lethal human diseases and remains largely refractory to available drug treatments. Insufficient targeting of the known oncogenic drivers and activation of compensatory feedback loops and inability to prevent metastatic spread contribute to poor prognosis for this disease. The KRAS-driven MEK pathway is mutationally activated in most panc...

Most pancreatic cancer patients present with inoperable disease or develop metastases after surgery. Conventional therapies are usually ineffective in treating metastatic disease. It is evident that novel therapies remain to be developed. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) plays a key role in cancer metastasis, signaling through the TGF-beta type I/II receptors (TbetaRI/II). We hypothes...

Inactivation of the retinoblastoma (Rb) tumor suppressor protein is widespread in human cancers. Inactivation of Rb is thought to be initiated by association with Raf-1 (C-Raf) kinase, and here we determined how RRD-251, a disruptor of the Rb-Raf-1 interaction, affects pancreatic tumor progression. Assessment of phospho-Rb levels in resected human pancreatic tumor specimens by immunohistochemis...

Despite intensive treatment, pancreatic adenocarcinoma still has the worst prognosis among all malignancies. Using clinically relevant models, we demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells engineered with a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)- and ERBB2-specific chimeric antigen receptor against pancreatic carcinoma. Targeting CD24, a putative cancer stem cell antigen ex...