Organoid Model of Pancreatic Cancer
“Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine say they have identified a new potential pancreatic cancer treatment using an organoid model—lab grown tissues that mimic the geometry and function of the pancreas containing a common cancer driving mutation. In their study, published Tuesday in the Journal Cell Stem Cell, the researchers found that the cancer-driving mutation [i.e. KRAS] included in the organoid results in abnormally high production of cholesterol and that an old, little used the heart drug perhexiline maleate can significantly hindered this activity and, as a result, suppress the organoids’ growth. “Our findings identify hyperactive cholesterol synthesis as a vulnerability that may be targetable in most pancreatic cancers, . . . .” In a related study, researchers found elevated cholesterol implicated in colon cancers. MORE
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