Publications by authors named "J Peil"

Article Synopsis
  • Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a rigid extracellular matrix (ECM) that has specific properties like high stiffness and a quick ability to relax from stress, which this study aims to replicate using gelatin-based hydrogels.
  • The researchers created these hydrogels with varying stiffness and stress relaxation by manipulating the cross-linking methods and materials, allowing them to better mimic the conditions found in PDAC tissues.
  • Experiments showed that the fast-relaxing hydrogels promoted PDAC cell growth and other cancer traits, and blocking a certain protein (integrin β1) changed tumor behavior, suggesting integrin β1 could be a potential target for improving cancer treatment
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AP endonuclease-1/Redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1 or Ref-1) is a multifunctional protein that is overexpressed in most aggressive cancers and impacts various cancer cell signaling pathways. Ref-1's redox activity plays a significant role in activating transcription factors (TFs) such as NFκB, HIF1α, STAT3 and AP-1, which are crucial contributors to the development of tumors and metastatic growth. Therefore, development of potent, selective inhibitors to target Ref-1 redox function is an appealing approach for therapeutic intervention.

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Angiogenesis and immune protection are essential at the onset of tumorigenesis. Angiogenesis serves to nourish the tumor, and prevention of immune defenses, for example, by dendritic cells (DCs), allows tumor growth. In this study, we investigated whether there are factors with dual functions that are both angiogenic and immunomodulatory and represent a therapeutic target.

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Conjunctival melanoma (CM) accounts for 5% of all ocular melanomas and arises from malignantly transformed melanocytes in the conjunctival epithelium. Current therapies using surgical excision in combination with chemo- or cryotherapy still have high rates for recurrences and metastatic disease. Lately, novel signal transduction-targeted and immune checkpoint inhibitors like cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors, programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) receptor inhibitors, BRAF- or MEK-inhibitors for systemic treatment of melanoma have improved the outcome even for unresectable cutaneous melanoma, improving patient survival dramatically.

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