Inhibiting HCK for PDAC

Inhibiting the kinase HCK, which is associated with poor survival in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), could help treat the disease by increasing cytotoxic effector cell infiltration into tumors. In samples from patients with PDAC, HCK expression was increased in tumors, and specifically in tumor-associated myeloid cells, compared with matched normal tissues.

In a xenograft mouse model of PDAC, HCK knockout decreased pancreatic tumor size and metastatic lesions compared with normal expression. In another xenograft mouse model of PDAC, an HCK small molecule inhibitor tool compound decreased primary tumor growth and liver metastases compared with vehicle. ...