Hollings Annual Report 2023 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 10
RESEARCH
HIGHLIGHTS
Finding the next
breakthrough
Pancreatic cancer
A type of cell that plays a key role in pancreatic cancer
can trace its origin back to a structure that forms during
embryonic development. This new data, published in
Nature Communications, is the first to show the cellular
origin of normal pancreatic fibroblasts and cancerassociated fibroblasts (CAFs) that influence tumor
progression. The research findings open the door for new
therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer, which remains
challenging to treat.
“More effective therapeutics are urgently needed for
patients with pancreatic cancer,” said Lu Han, Ph.D., lead
8
author of the publication. “We aimed to learn the basic
biology of pancreatic cancer so we can provide information
to lead to more effective treatments.”
Targeting CAFs holds exciting potential for therapeutic
benefits. Han said that knowing the basic biology of this cell
type is the initial step. Many studies show that there may be
multiple types of CAFs, which may play different roles in
either promoting or prohibiting cancer progression.
“Understanding the specific factors within each CAF
subtype will help us direct future therapeutic design. Ideally,
we want to be able to promote the CAFs that reduce
cancer cell growth and inhibit the tumor-promoting CAFs,”
said Han.
Hollings 2023 Annual Report
