Barbosa Vendramini Costa Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2025

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the function of cancer associated fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer

ABSTRACT Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with a dismal 5-year overall survival of 13%. Among the reasons for such a poor outlook is the presence of a highly fibrotic and immunosuppressive microenvironment, characterized by activation and expansion of fibroblasts and their extracellular matrix (ECM). During PDAC development, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) produce large amounts of ECM, cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, and despite their pivotal pro-tumor roles, the drivers of their activation and pro- tumor functions are still unknown. Paradoxically, elimination of CAFs and their ECM is unfavorable to patients, suggesting that…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.