Alternative PDAC models

Pancreatic cancer: 3R project seeks alternatives to animal testing A team of scientists led by Maik Dahlhoff, head of the Institute of in vivo and in vitro Models at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, is breaking new ground in pancreatic cancer research. Instead of animal models, the project, funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, aims to develop an in vitro alternative for studying pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The scientists are also testing a new molecule that targets these carcinomas. In their project, the research team is following the 3R principle (refinement, reduction, replacement) against unnecessary animal suffering. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the deadliest of all cancers with only few medical advances in treatment to date. Pancreatic cancer causes severe pain in both patients and laboratory animals, especially in its final stages. The problem is that animal models and animal experiments currently remain essential for PDAC research, as it is not possible to study the molecular mechanisms of pancreatic cancer in the pancreatic tissue of patients. 3D bioprinting and mouse stem cells to reduce animal suffering A research project at the University for Veterinary Medicine Vienna for the first time ever is working to induce pancreatic cancer in vitro on printed pancreatic tissue with the aim of creating an alternative animal model to study the molecular mechanisms of a desired gene or substance of interest to treat PDAC. The researchers are using 3D bioprinting and mouse stem cells, among other methods, to achieve this ambitious goal. The attempt to induce a tumour in a healthy 3D printed pancreas is innovative and novel and will allow researchers to study the development of tumours in vitro through the use of genetically modified pancreatic mouse cells capable of developing tumours in under two weeks. New molecule against pancreatic cancer under investigation Following development of the new in vitro model, it will be used to investigate an urgent scientific question in the field of PDAC research. In a preliminary study, the research group has generated a mouse model that overexpresses a so-called decoy molecule. This molecule will be analysed using the PDAC in vitro system to determine whether it is capable of attenuating PDAC cell growth.