Publications

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a five-year survival rate of 6%. A key driver of disease progression is the tumour microenvironment, which is characterised by fibrosis. A dynamic interplay between tumour cells, pro-fibrogenic pancreatic stellate cells and a dense extracellular matrix impedes effective drug delivery and promotes chemoresistance and metastases. In addition, mutations in pancreatic cancer are highly heterogeneous, making it difficult to effectively treat all patients with one approach. Thus, any effective pancreatic cancer treatment should consider targeting both pancreatic cancer and the stromal compartment. While basic research has provided promising new leads on therapeutic targets for this disease, many of them remain “undrugable” by conventional approaches. Advances in nanoparticle technology and intravital preclinical imaging of live tumours is providing new insight into the behaviour of the disease in vivo and guiding how best to target this disease with higher specificity and lower off-target toxicity. Here, we describe in brief, key advancements in both rapidly emerging fields and highlight their current and future application in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.