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Mouse Models

Genetic engineered mice have been effective tools for cancer modeling and pathway studies, because they are engineered to simulate human diseases in both genetic and pathology make-up. Because of their precise engineering, they allow researchers to turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor-suppressor genes in a controlled manner, and to investigate cancer initiation and progression resulted from the engineered genetic changes. We use the Cre-loxP technology to turn on or off targeted genes. Our target genes include many of those previously identified cancer genes important for human pancreatic cancer.

Targeting a combination of oncogene and various tumor-suppressor genes, our team has developed two distinct types of mouse models, one that simulates the development of human PanIN/PDA (Figure 1) and the other that presents mucinous cystic lesions that simulate human IPMN/IPMC (Figure 2). As in humans, the tumors are less aggressive in the IPMN/IPMC model than in the PanIN/PDA model. The IPMN/IPMC has longer average survival and lower frequency of metastasis. Experiments on investigating tumorigenesis, metastasis, tumor microenvironment, therapies, and early metabolic changes are underway in the lab.

Figure 1


Figure 2