Fibroblast heterogeneity in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease with limited treatment options: only 1 in 10 patients survive more than 5 years. In pancreatic cancer, the most abundant cells are non-malignant cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which have been shown to promote cancer growth, chemotherapy resistance and suppression of the immune system. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that targeting CAFs may also restrict pancreatic cancer growth. These studies underscore the need to better characterise the nature and roles of CAFs to help identify new therapeutic targets. This research project will involve the use of mouse models, co-culture models of pancreatic cancer cells grown as three-dimensional organoids and CAFs, as well as genetic and pharmacological strategies to target these different cell types. Overall, this project will determine the interplay between cancer cells and CAFs in pancreatic cancer with the aim to improve both diagnostic and treatment approaches for this disease.