De-convolution of tumour biology in the post-genomic era: focus on pancreatic cancer

Mutations (changes in the DNA) can cause cancer to develop. Novel technologies have been able to catalogue mutations in large groups of patient samples. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly tumours. To make progress, we need to better understand how the tumour develops and grows. We have prioritised which mutations may likely have a causal role in the development and the progression of pancreatic cancer. The project aims to validate this and to decipher the biology of pancreatic cancer by using experimental mouse models and by developing a sophisticated culture model in which tumour development is recapitulated starting from normal human pancreatic cells.