Congratulations to I-PCC members Dr. Miriam Martini  and Dr. Elisa Giovannetti for their collaboration in a recent study with Dr. Andrea Costamagna and Professors Emilio Hirsch and Sara Cabodi from the Center for Molecular Biotechnology of the University of Turin, Italy, Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza, Pisa and Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The researchers analyzed human pancreatic tumor samples and mouse models of pancreatic cancer of increasing aggressiveness in order to unravel the relationship between p130Cas and pancreatic tumorigenesis. The study demonstrated that p130Cas acts downstream of Kras to increase PI3K-AKT signaling required for acino-ductal metaplasia and subsequent tumor development. This research also contributes to a better understanding of pancreatic cancer prognosis. The discovery of key proteins that regulate the early stages of tumorigenesis is fundamental to fully understand this pathology and to identify new potential molecular markers useful in diagnostics and therapy.
Here the link to the paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34922945/
A press release is available at: https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/research/institutes/cancer-center-amsterdam/news/a-new-essential-factor-for-the-onset-of-pancreatic-cancer.htm