Early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is problematic because symptoms, such as jaundice and abdominal pain, The link between blood clots and pancreatic cancer is being studied with this tiny simulation device. Source: Purdue University/Bumsoo Hanmanifest themselves after the disease has metastasized. A microfluidic device designed to examine a link between blood clots and pancreatic tumors could lead to earlier detection and improved therapies.

Microfluidic channels in the device host pancreatic duct tissue samples beneath a microslide to simulate how cancer develops from the duct and invades surrounding tissue. Blood clot formation is spurred by pancreatic cancer, and in turn, accelerates the growth of pancreatic tumors. The mechanisms underlying this bi-directional formation will be studied with the microfluidic tool, followed by validation assessments using mouse models and patient tissue samples.

Researchers from Purdue University, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the Indiana University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill contributed to this development.