A University of Utah co-author on the study says the research proves that epigenetics — changes in genetic activity caused by forces other than modifications in the DNA sequence, such as when genes are turned on or off — play a role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), the most common type of cancer of the pancreas. (sciencedaily.com)
Bottom Line: Bacterial load was significantly higher in pancreatic tumor samples from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma compared with pancreatic tissue from normal individuals, and in studies using mice, eliminating certain «bad» bacteria slowed the growth of pancreatic cancer, reversed immune suppression, and upregulated the immune checkpoint protein PD1. (sciencecodex.com)
This approach has led to the finding that activated fibroblasts in the tumor stroma mediate immune suppression in several mouse models of cancer, including the autochthonous model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma of the Tuveson lab. (cshl.edu)