The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is commonly dysregulated in human cancer, making it an attractive target for novel anticancer therapeutics. We have used a mouse model of ovarian cancer generated by Kras(G12D) activation and Pten …

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease characterized by dismal 5-year survival rates and limited treatment options. In an effort to provide useful models for preclinical evaluation of new experimental therapeutics, we and others have …

Ultrasonography is a powerful imaging modality that enables noninvasive, real-time visualization of abdominal organs and tissues. This technology may be adapted for use in mice through the utilization of higher frequency transducers, allowing for …

PURPOSE: To evaluate agonistic TRA-8 monoclonal antibody to human death receptor 5 (DR5) and gemcitabine in vitro and in an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Pancreatic cancer cell lines were screened for DR5 expression, …

PURPOSE: Evaluate the response of human pancreatic cancer cell lines and orthotopic tumors to TRA-8, an agonistic antibody to death receptor 5, in combination with irinotecan (CPT-11). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: MIA PaCa-2 and S2VP10 cells were treated with …

Advances in knowledge of the molecular alterations of human cancers, refinements in technologies for the generation of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), and the development of cancer therapies have accelerated in recent years. Progress in these …

Aberrant activation of the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is one of the most prevalent abnormalities in human cancer. Tumors with cell autonomous Hh activation (e.g., medulloblastomas) can acquire secondary mutations at the Smoothened (Smo) antagonist …

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is characterized by abundant desmoplasia and poor tissue perfusion. These features are proposed to limit the access of therapies to neoplastic cells and blunt treatment efficacy. Indeed, several agents that target …

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To investigate the antitumor effect of sunitinib and FAK/Pyk2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (PF-562,271)combination therapy in vivo, utilizing human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells Huh7.5. Nude rats were inoculated subcutaneously …

The fate of circulating tumor cells (CTC) is an important determinant of metastasis and recurrence, which leads to most deaths in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, quantification of CTCs proves to be an emerging tool for diagnosing, stratifying, …