The Ronald S. Hirshberg Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research Laboratory is a pillar of our UCLA research program. It is the first lab exclusively dedicated to investigating the biology of pancreatic cancer. Under Dr. Guido Eibl’s leadership, the lab is consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and continues to advance our understanding of how diet, obesity, and inflammation contribute to tumor development.
We celebrate Dr. Eibl and his team’s ongoing contributions and look forward to sharing more groundbreaking discoveries from their research.
Publications from the Translational Laboratory in 2024
Upregulated Matrisomal Proteins and Extracellular Matrix Mechanosignaling underly Obesity-associated Promotion of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancers 2024;16(8):1593 (PMCID: PMC11048773)
R.Waldron, A.Lugea, H.-H.Chang, H.-Y.Su, C.Quiros, M.Lewis, M.Che, V.K.Ramanujan, E.Rozengurt, G.Eibl, S.Pandol.
This study is a comprehensive proteomic analysis of the pancreas of KC mice fed either a control or high-fat diet. Our results clearly demonstrate that multiple changes in pancreatic protein and phosphoprotein expression occur during the development of pancreatic cancer in obese KC mice. This study also utilized spatial proteomics to locate the expression patterns in certain regions and cell populations of the pancreas.
Stress and obesity signaling converge on CREB phosphorylation to promote pancreatic cancer. Molecular Cancer Research 2024, Dec 6, Online ahead of print
X.Sun*, Y.Teper*, J.Sinnett-Smith, M.Markarian, O.J.Hines, G.Li, G.Eibl#, E.Rozengurt#. (* dual first authorship, # dual senior authorship)
This is the first report of the combinatorial effect of social isolation and diet-induced obesity in any preclinical cancer model. We found that social isolation accelerates pancreatic cancer development in obese KC mice, with a stronger impact in female mice. Mechanistically, our data suggest that the effect of social isolation and diet-induced obesity is mediated by activating signaling pathways that converge on CREB. Detailed cell culture experiments dissected the signaling pathways involved. Our study also suggests a beneficial effect of beta blockers in this disease.
New grants awarded in 2024
“Impact of dietary lipids on pancreas cancer initiation and progression”
MPI: Christofk/Eibl/Plath
This project will define the effects of high-fat diets, mostly lard or coconut oil, on the pancreatic microenvironment and pancreatic tumorigenesis using an innovative mouse model and transcriptomic and metabolic analyses.
Presentations in 2024
American Pancreatic Association
Maui, HI, December 9-12, 2024
“Chronic social isolation stress in combination with diet-induced obesity accelerates pancreatic cancer development in KC mice.”
Y.Teper, X.Sun, R.T.Waldron, A.Lugea, J.Sinnett-Smith, O.J.Hines, G.Li, D.W.Dawson, S.J.Pandol, E.Rozengurt, G.Eibl. 55th Annual Meeting of the American Pancreatic Association
