• scaffolds
• pancreatic cancer
• immunohistochemistry
• hypoxia
• extra cellular matrix proteins
• biopolymers
• biomaterials
• 3D models
• tissue engineering
• tumour microenvironment

PDAC, or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, is the seventh most common cancer-related cause of death globally. The highly complex and heterogeneous tumour microenvironment (TME) and its resistance to the currently available therapeutic methods are partially responsible for its aggressive character and high death rate. The TME is made up of a complex combination of cellular, biochemical, and biomechanical elements that work together to advance the tumour. Hypoxia, or oxygen tension below physiological levels, plays a crucial role in PDAC, affecting TME alterations and encouraging the growth of cancer.
Endothelial cells are among the cellular constituents of the PDAC TME that give rise to capillaries and blood vessels. Activated pancreatic stellate cells are also crucial for the development of tumours.
By creating a PDAC stromal hypoxic 3D model, our effort attempts to expand on current existing 3D cancer models. With the aid of a dedicated hypoxic chamber, polymeric scaffold assisted long term culture for PDAC stroma will be used to evaluate the impact of hypoxia in contrast to a control normoxic environment.
The goal of this multidisciplinary project is to develop and validate a novel hypoxic 3D model of the PDAC stromal compartment using human endothelial cells and pancreatic stellate cells. This will be done through the use of a variety of experimental techniques, such as scaffold construction, metabolic assays, immunofluorescence-based staining, and imaging. The created model will then be utilised to clarify how hypoxia affects the PDAC TME.