ROLE OF KEY PROTEIN IN PANCREATIC CANCER TO BE STUDIED VIA NCI GRANT

The National Cancer Institute awarded a five-year, $1.78 million grant to Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Ohio State, to help her and colleagues study the role of a protein called lipocalin 2 (LCN2) in pancreatic cancer.

Cruz-Monserrate, a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, and colleagues state in their project abstract that relatively little progress has been made in the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest of human malignancies.

They note that PDAC cells are in a complex tumor microenvironment (TME) consisting of many cell types. Because TME contributions to maintaining PDAC cells are poorly understood at the molecular level, the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies has been challenging.

“Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are key mediators of inflammation and the fibrotic stroma in the TME,” they write. “Understanding PSC interactions with other TME cell types may identify therapeutic targets for PDAC. Our long-term goal is to understand molecular cross talk among cells in the PDAC TME so key factors in this process may be disrupted for future preventive or therapeutic strategies.”

In particular they will focus on LCN2, which they describe as a secreted protein that is expressed by immune and tumor cells. They point out that LCN2 plays an important role in inflammation and immune modulation.

“Our project will provide a detailed understanding of sources of LCN2 and the importance of cell type-specific LCN2-mediated signaling pathways that regulate TME PDAC inflammation,” they write. “The results will provide insights to guide the development of therapies for this lethal disease through blockage of LCN2 and/or LCN2-associated pathways.”