The year 2022 was notable for substantial research progress related to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The first single-cell and spatial transcriptomic atlases of PDAC were reported, a mechanism for how Schwann cells promote perineural invasion was explored, and, finally, the role of exercise in abrogating immunosuppression was shown.
Key advances
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Spatial transcriptomics and other single-cell technologies reveal distinct transitional populations linking acinar-to-ductal metaplasia to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and enrichment of metallothionein-expressing inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts in chemoresistant pancreatic cancer3.
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Schwann cells within the tumour microenvironment organize into tumour-activated Schwann cell tracts that promote migration along nerves via activation of JUN6.
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Aerobic exercise restrains pancreatic cancer growth in mice through IL-15–IL-15RA-mediated activation of CD8+ T cells, and evidence for this relationship was found in humans7.
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References
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Iacobuzio-Donahue, C.A. The war on pancreatic cancer: progress and promise. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 20, 75–76 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-022-00728-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-022-00728-1
