Context, Cancer-derived extracellular vesicles (cEVs) have been suspected to play a key role in promoting cancer progression, but their exact influence on neighboring normal cells remains unclear. In this study, the research team aimed to investigate the impact of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) derived EVs on non-tumorigenic pancreatic normal epithelial cells. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of these interactions can help unveil new potential targets for cancer therapy and prevention.

Perspective: Nelson Scientific Labs recognized the importance of studying the effects of PDAC cEVs on normal cells to better understand cancer progression. Leveraging their expertise in multi-omics analysis, Nelson Scientific Labs aimed to identify the biomolecules present in cEVs and their potential roles in inducing stress responses in recipient normal cells.

Analysis: The research team, with the support of Nelson Scientific Labs, investigated the internalization of cEVs in normal pancreatic epithelial cells and their subsequent effects. By using a layered multi-omics approach, the team analyzed the EV cargo from multiple PDAC and normal pancreas cell lines. They identified an array of biomolecules that can induce or regulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the unfolded protein response (UPR), and demonstrated that PDAC cEVs increase cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Result: This study shed light on the unreported role of PDAC cEVs in inducing stress in treated normal pancreas cells, potentially modulating systemic responses leading to altered phenotypes. The findings highlighted the importance of EVs in mediating disease etiology and opened up new areas of investigation for understanding the role of cEV lipids in promoting cell transformation in the surrounding microenvironment.

Benefit: By partnering with Nelson Scientific Labs, the research team was able to uncover novel insights into the impact of cancer-derived extracellular vesicles on normal cells, which could contribute to the development of more effective cancer prevention and treatment strategies in the future.

References:

Hinzman, C. P., Singh, B., Bansal, S., Li, Y., Iliuk, A., Girgis, M., Herremans, K. M., Trevino, J. G., Singh, V. K., Banerjee, P. P., & Cheema, A. K. (2022). A multi-omics approach identifies pancreatic cancer cell extracellular vesicles as mediators of the unfolded protein response in normal pancreatic epithelial cells. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 11, e12232. https://doi.org/10.1002/jev2.12232

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