Research
Research in the Crawford laboratory is focused on the cell and molecular origins of pancreatic cancer and how chronic inflammation of the pancreas leads to pancreatic cancer development. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death and is on track to become the second by 2021. Our lab explores the crosstalk between cancer and immune cells and how it induces the cellular plasticity that leads to resistance to therapy and promotes metastasis. The lab also examines what makes pancreatic cancer uniquely deadly by dissecting the roles of pathways that confer pancreatic identity during organ development and are usurped to promote tumor aggressiveness.
Tumor Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer
Tuft cells and PDA
Pancreatic cancer (PDA) is on its way to becoming the second leading cause of cancer related death and has a 5-year survival rate of only 9%. Expansion of the tumor is, in part, driven by the expansion of the epithelial compartment. This compartment plays a part in tumor progression by direct proliferation as well as cross talk to the fibroinflammatory stroma. Metaplastic tuft cells (MTCs) are a subset of the neoplastic epithelium that has the potential to drive tumor progression by expansion and communication with the microenvironment.
Pancreatic Cancer Molecular Biology
DDR1 and DDR2
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) presents with a collagen-dense fibrotic response throughout disease progression. Our research focuses on understanding the molecular events contributing to the initiation and progression of PDA through a set of receptors that bind to collagen called, Discoidin Domain Receptors (DDR1 and DDR2). Our goal is to understand the role of these receptor during pancreatic injury, tumorigenesis, and metastasis using genetically engineered mouse models.
Pancreatic Cancer Genetics
PDX1
PDX1 (or Pancreatic and Duodenal homeobox 1) is an important transcription factor for pancreas development. Recent studies in the lab have shown it to be an integral part of the story for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) transformation. In the lab we look at PDX1 and other genetic factors that may help us understand PDA and how to treat it.