Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Cancer's Armour

Molecular pathway discovered that creates a microenvironment for pancreatic cancer development

31 January 2023

Cancer's Armour

Cancer in any shape or form is horrid, but pancreatic cancer, with its reputation as one of the deadliest forms of the disease, is particularly monstrous. One of the problems with pancreatic cancer is that it can be harder to detect and diagnose than, say, skin or breast cancer. Another problem, according to recent research, is that pancreatic tumour cells protect themselves in a sheath of extracellular matrix that makes them especially tolerant to stress and drugs. Indeed, pancreatic cancers are among the most chemo-resistant of all tumours. The mouse pancreatic cancer-initiating cells pictured (blue) are encased in such a matrix (pink). The good news is, scientists have identified a factor in these cells responsible for ramping up the matrix production. With this knowledge, it might be possible to therapeutically target the factor, or indeed the matrix itself, to break down the protective barrier and allow the cancer-killing chemotherapies in.

Written by Ruth Williams

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.