Poster #: 108
Exploring Antidepressants as Therapeutics For Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis
Mentors: Ghimkin Hassan, PhD (Mentor), Valerie M. Weaver, PhD (PI)
Pancreatic cancer, characterized by malignant cell formation in the pancreas, remains one of the most lethal malignancies. These cancer cells frequently metastasize to distant organs such as the liver and lungs. Recent studies suggest that antidepressants may enhance immune recognition and clearance of tumor cells. In this work, we investigated whether antidepressants could inhibit pancreatic cancer metastasis to the liver and lungs. Antidepressants were administered to genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer. At the terminal stage, mice were euthanized, and liver and lung tissues were collected for histochemical analysis. Tissue sections were stained, imaged, and evaluated for metastatic lesions. Our findings demonstrate that antidepressant treatment significantly reduces the metastatic spread of pancreatic cancer cells to the liver and lungs. These results support further investigation into the role of antidepressants as adjunct therapeutic agents in limiting pancreatic cancer progression and dissemination.