Cell mosaic determines tumor growth
Detailed analysis decodes functional units in the microenvironment of pancreatic tumors / Individual composition of the tumor environment relevant for response to chemotherapy
Pancreatic cancer often grows quickly and is associated with a poor prognosis. Only eight percent of those affected survive for more than five years. Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine - University of Freiburg and Canadian colleagues have now been able to show how healthy body cells affect the rapid growth of the tumor. They investigated the tumor microenvironment. In this microenvironment, a powerful network of normal body cells forms functional units in the service of the tumor. Their distribution determines whether and to what extent the tumor responds to chemotherapy. The researchers published their findings in the journal Cell on October 12, 2021.
"It has long been known that the immediate environment of the tumor can actively intervene in tumor growth. In pancreatic cancer, however, this microenvironment is so heterogeneous and complex that it has not been taken into account in the choice of therapy until now," explains co-study leader Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries, Director of the Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "We have now been able to decipher for the first time how the cells form communities in this diverse environment and organize themselves into functional units," adds Börries. By combining detailed tissue examinations, clinical data on disease progression and tumor models, the researchers identified recurring patterns. As in a mosaic, the microenvironment is essentially made up of three types of cell clusters. Depending on the type, these so-called sub-microenvironments can prevent the tumor cells from multiplying, but can also protect the tumor cells from chemotherapy. "We hope that our findings on the cellular organization of the tumour environment will advance the search for biomarkers and starting points for new drugs," says Börries.
Original title of the study: Spatially confined sub-tumor microenvironments in pancreatic cancer
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.022
Link to the study:www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(21)01105-3
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries
Director
Institute of Medical Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-84671
melanie.boerries@uniklinik-freiburg.de
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