Project description:The paper describes a model on the size of pancreatic tumour.
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This model is described in the article:
Modeling Pancreatic Cancer Dynamics with Immunotherapy
Xiaochuan Hu, Guoyi Ke and Sophia R.-J. Jang
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology (2019) 81:1885–1915
Abstract:
We develop a mathematical model of pancreatic cancer that includes pancreatic cancer cells, pancreatic stellate cells, effector cells and tumor-promoting and tumor- suppressing cytokines to investigate the effects of immunotherapies on patient survival. The model is first validated using the survival data of two clinical trials. Local sen- sitivity analysis of the parameters indicates there exists a critical activation rate of pro-tumor cytokines beyond which the cancer can be eradicated if four adoptive trans- fers of immune cells are applied. Optimal control theory is explored as a potential tool for searching the best adoptive cellular immunotherapies. Combined immunother- apies between adoptive ex vivo expanded immune cells and TGF-β inhibition by siRNA treatments are investigated. This study concludes that mono-immunotherapy is unlikely to control the pancreatic cancer and combined immunotherapies between anti-TGF-β and adoptive transfers of immune cells can prolong patient survival. We show through numerical explorations that how these two types of immunotherapies are scheduled is important to survival. Applying TGF-β inhibition first followed by adoptive immune cell transfers can yield better survival outcomes.
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Project description:Despite advances in molecular pathogenesis, pancreatic cancer remains a major unsolved health problem. It is a rapidly invasive, metastatic tumor that is resistant to standard therapies. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways are frequently dysregulated in pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine (Gem) is the mainstay treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer. P276 is a novel CDK inhibitor that induces G2/M arrest and inhibits tumor growth in vivo models. Here, we determined that P276 sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to Gem induced apoptosis, a mechanism mediated through inhibition of Akt-mTOR signaling. In vitro, the combination of P276 and Gem resulted in a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation and colony formation of pancreatic cancer cells but not with normal pancreatic ductal cells. This combination also induced apoptosis, as seen by activated caspase 3 and increased Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Gene profiling studies demonstrated that this combination down regulated Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, which was confirmed by western blot analyses. There was also a down regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-8 expression suggesting effects on angiogenesis pathway. In vivo, intraperitoneal administration of the P276-Gem combination significantly suppressed the growth of pancreatic cancer tumor xenografts. There was a reduction in CD31 positive blood vessels, and reduced VEGF expression, again suggesting an effect on angiogenesis. Taken together, these data suggest that P276-Gem combination is a novel potent therapeutic agent that can target the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway to inhibit both tumor growth and angiogenesis. Case control dual channel design
Project description:Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) shed into blood from primary cancers include putative precursors that initiate distal metastases. While these cells are extraordinarily rare, they may identify cellular pathways contributing to the blood-borne dissemination of cancer. Here, we adapted a microfluidic device for efficient capture of CTCs from an endogenous mouse pancreatic cancer model and subjected CTCs to single-molecule RNA sequencing, identifying Wnt2 as enriched in CTCs. Expression of Wnt2 in pancreatic cancer cells suppresses anoikis, enhances anchorage-independent sphere formation, and increases metastatic propensity in vivo. The effect of Wnt2 is correlated with fibronectin upregulation, and it is mediated in part through non-canonical Wnt signaling and suppressed by inhibition of the Map3k7 (Tak1) kinase, an integrator of Wnt, BMP and TGF-beta signaling. In humans, formation of non-adherent tumour spheres by pancreatic cancer cells is associated with upregulation of multiple Wnt genes, and pancreatic CTCs revealed significant enrichment for non-canonical Wnt signaling in 5 of 11 cases. Thus, molecular analysis of CTCs may identify novel therapeutic targets to prevent the distal spread of cancer. Expression profiling of circulating tumor cells in human pancreatic cancer patients support a hypothesis that WNT signaling plays a role in pancreatic cancer metastasis.
Project description:Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) shed into blood from primary cancers include putative precursors that initiate distal metastases. While these cells are extraordinarily rare, they may identify cellular pathways contributing to the blood-borne dissemination of cancer. Here, we adapted a microfluidic device for efficient capture of CTCs from an endogenous mouse pancreatic cancer model and subjected CTCs to single-molecule RNA sequencing, identifying Wnt2 as enriched in CTCs. Expression of Wnt2 in pancreatic cancer cells suppresses anoikis, enhances anchorage-independent sphere formation, and increases metastatic propensity in vivo. The effect of Wnt2 is correlated with fibronectin upregulation, and it is mediated in part through non-canonical Wnt signaling and suppressed by inhibition of the Map3k7 (Tak1) kinase, an integrator of Wnt, BMP and TGF-beta signaling. In humans, formation of non-adherent tumour spheres by pancreatic cancer cells is associated with upregulation of multiple Wnt genes, and pancreatic CTCs revealed significant enrichment for non-canonical Wnt signaling in 5 of 11 cases. Thus, molecular analysis of CTCs may identify novel therapeutic targets to prevent the distal spread of cancer. Expression profiling of primary tumor, circulating tumor cells and ascites in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer suggested WNT signaling plays a role in pancreatic cancer metastasis. Induction of Wnt2 signaling in mouse pancreatic NB508 cells supported the hypothesis.
Project description:To model familial pancreatic cancer patients, we generated isogenic Brca2 deficient pancreatic cancer cell lines with CRISPR/Cas9. To investigate the changes in the enhancer landscape upon BET inhibition, we performed H3K27ac CUT-and-RUN-seq.