RESULTS

Pancreatic cancer research beyond DNA mutations (Biomolecules, 2022)

In the academia-industry collaboration, Dr. Saro has focused on the mechanism of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is beyond DNA mutations. Given that PDAC is caused by genetic mutations in four genes: KRAS proto-oncogene and GTPase (KRAS), tumor protein P53 (TP53), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4), they noted the multifaced characteristics of PDAC, including cancer cell metabolism, mesenchymal cells including cancer-associated fibroblasts and immune cells, and metagenomics, which extend to characterize various biomolecules including RNAs and volatile organic compounds. The optimal combination of these new technologies is expected to help treat PDAC.