Inhibition of Notch signaling attenuates epithelial mesenchymal transition and pancreatic tumor initiating CD44+/EpCAM+ cells

Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with a high rate of metastasis and limited treatment options. The Notch pathway has recently emerged as a candidate drug target. Notch signalling is important in PDAC initiation and maintenance. A number of subpopulations within PDAC have been shown to have tumor initiating or cancer stem cells (CSC) properties. This provides a rationale for further analysis of Notch signalling in PDAC carcinogenesis and to treat pancreatic CSC. Aims: Based on the known roles of Notch in development and stem cell biology, we investigated the effects o…