Branching Out

Cancer comes in all shapes and sizes. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) forms branching structures as it arises from a tissue made of tube-like structures called glandular branched epithelia. The branching structure of PDAC is thought to contribute to its aggressiveness. However, current PDAC models cultured in the lab are spherical. To better mimic PDAC, researchers now present a new model grown from single mouse PDAC cells in a 3D collagen matrix with a mix of specific chemicals. This produced a mass of tissue that organised itself into highly branched structures that replicated the architecture of PDAC in humans, as captured using fluorescence microscopy (pictured). Using this model, the team identified the different stages and characteristics of PDAC development, including changes in cell movements, proteins and molecules. This branching model, therefore, provides a useful replica to investigate the dynamics of PDAC.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Lux Fatimathas

Writer

Having pursued science through a career in research, communications and publishing, she is currently a writer and editor for a healthcare marketing agency and also juggles freelance science writing.

• Image from work by S. Randriamanantsoa and A. Papargyriou, and colleagues
• Lehrstuhl für Zell Biophysik E27, Physik Department and Center for Functional Protein Assemblies, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, September 2022