Estabilishment and Characterization of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Organoids

• Grant number: 24/00427-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 30, 2024
• End date: August 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Luiz Porfirio Xavier
• Grantee: Maria Eduarda Goes Job
• Supervisor: Vincenzo Corbo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Verona, Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/07358-0 - Establishment and Characterization of PDAC 3D spheroids in 384-well Ultra-Low Attachment plates, BP.IC

Abstract

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, exhibiting significantly low survival rates worldwide. The poor outcomes are related to multifactorial risk factors, nonspecific symptoms, later diagnostic, and lack of therapeutic targets. Three-dimensional organoid models emerge as an essential tool for studying PDAC physiological dynamics in vitro, mimicking tumor phenotypes such as heterogeneity, exposure to oxygen and nutrients, representation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and response for treatments that are concordant with in vivo tumors. Thus, in this internship abroad we aim to establish a protocol for the generation of PDAC organoids, enabling the student to learn protocols and techniques for culture and characterize 3D PDAC organoid models.