3D genomic mapping reveals multifocality of human pancreatic precancers. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38693266/)

These scientists wanted to learn more about the small growths in the pancreas that can lead to cancer. These growths are called Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs). They are very small and hard to study in humans. So, the scientists used a special machine-learning program to look at 46 samples of normal human pancreas. This program helped them create detailed 3D images of the PanINs at the level of individual cells.

To understand how these PanINs develop, the scientists also looked at the genes inside them. They used a special method to cut out different parts of the PanINs and then sequenced their genes to see if there were any mutations. They found that most PanINs had a specific mutation called KRAS, which is known to be linked to cancer.

The scientists discovered that most PanINs start as separate groups of cells with different genetic mutations. Some PanINs even had multiple KRAS mutations in different cell groups. This means that these growths are not all the same and can have different risks of turning into cancer.

By understanding these details about PanINs, the scientists hope to find better ways to detect and stop pancreatic cancer early on.

Braxton AM., Kiemen AL., Grahn MP., Forjaz A., Parksong J., Mahesh Babu J., Lai J., Zheng L., Niknafs N., Jiang L., Cheng H., Song Q., Reichel R., Graham S., Damanakis AI., Fischer CG., Mou S., Metz C., Granger J., Liu XD., Bachmann N., Zhu Y., Liu Y., Almagro-Perez C., Jiang AC., Yoo J., Kim B., Du S., Foster E., Hsu JY., Rivera PA., Chu LC., Liu F., Fishman EK., Yuille A., Roberts NJ., Thompson ED., Scharpf RB., Cornish TC., Jiao Y., Karchin R., Hruban RH., Wu PH., Wirtz D., Wood LD. 3D genomic mapping reveals multifocality of human pancreatic precancers. Nature. 2024 May;629(8012):679-687. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07359-3. Epub 2024 May 1.