Investigating the impact of TGFβ signalling in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment

Pancreatic cancer is a significant health problem and is predicted to become the second most common cause of cancer death by 2025. Survival has remained at a dismal level of less than 5% for the last 50 years, and even now, most therapies are ineffective. Improvements in our understanding of the disease are vital to identify novel targets for therapy.

Pancreatic cancer is renowned for its dense stroma, made up of fibroblasts, immune cells, blood vessels and extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen. The role played by this stroma in driving tumour progression, metastasis and chemo-resistance is currently the subject of much debate. Our recent findings suggest that TGFβ signalling, potentially between tumour and stroma, is key during pancreatic cancer development and progression.

The aim of this project is to investigate the mechanisms by which TGFβ cross-talk between tumour and stroma can drive pancreatic cancer. The student will use cutting-edge transgenic models to investigate the effects of interfering with TGFβ signalling in different cell types within the tumour. The student will also use a variety of ex vivo techniques to identify the targets of these signals that are key players in pancreatic cancer and thus, identify new therapeutic options.

Keywords: Cancer, Pancreas, Microenvironment, Transgenic