ASC Inflammasomes in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal solid malignancies, owing to the difficulty of early diagnosis and resistance to current treatments. Our lab seeks to understand how inflammation and the innate immune response, coordinated via ASC inflammasomes, affect pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis. Guided by our findings that ASC inflammasomes drive chronic inflammation in pancreatic cancer epithelium and alter tumour metabolism, we now aim to elucidate why these inflammasomes assemble in pancreatic cancer, and how they reshape cancer metabolism.

Research projects available: 

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are key molecules of the innate immune system that recognise microbial- and/or host-derived products to trigger the inflammatory response. We aim to understand the molecular basis by which specific PRRs promote pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal and aggressive cancers in the world that is strongly linked with a dysregulated immune response. This project would ultimately assist with the identification of biomarkers and potential targets for innovative therapies. 

This project employs pre-clinical disease models, as well as translational studies using our large collection of biobanked pancreatic cancer patient samples. Students will gain a solid foundation in basic molecular biology across this wide range of sample types, and will be trained in advanced analysis techniques such as multi-colour confocal microscopy and real-time cell metabolism assays. 

For more information about this project, visit the SAiGENCI website and contact: Prof. Brendan Jenkins.