Delaying Tumor Growth

In the image, you can see a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor from a 12-week-old mouse. The tumor beta cells responsible for secreting insulin into the bloodstream gathered around, forming a heart-shaped cluster. At the same time, a group of healthy cells surrounded the beta cells encapsulating the tumor. Eliane Cortez and her colleagues found that by deleting the gene called PDGF-DD they could slow down tumor growth in mice, offering a window for treatment in humans with this type of disease.

Eliane Cortez, Michael Bartoschek and Kristian Pietras