Thesis supervisor: Viktória Venglovecz
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Universitat of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy Abbreviation of location of studies: FFI
Description of the research topic:
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis in which the 5-years survival rate is extremely low despite recent advances in therapy. The main reason for this is that the disease is often diagnosed very late when therapeutic interventions are largely ineffective. In order to improve the treatment of the disease and thus the outcome of pancreatic cancer, it is important to understand the pathomechanism of the disease. Tumors are characterized by a strongly acidic microenvironment despite the fact that the intracellular pH is normal. This acidic microenvironment is due to the fact that the metabolism of cancer cells is typically accelerated, which associates with altered expression of acid-base transporters. The role of ion transporters in the development and progression of cancer has been described in many cancer types, but the literature on pancreatic cancer is relatively poor, despite the fact that pancreatic ductal cells have significant acid-base transport capacity. The aim of the present project is to investigate the role of ductal ion transporters in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer. By the end of the project, we will hopefully have a more complete picture of the pathomechanism of the disease, and we will be able to identify novel therapeutic targets that could be a starting point in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Required language skills: english Number of students who can be accepted: 1