Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42265391›Full record

ArticleAngiogenesis2026

Characterizing pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblast heterogeneity in vascular microphysiological systems.

Charles W Blackledge, Sarah Gullion, Ian McCabe, Ngan N K Van, Arthi Hariharan, Changfei Luan, Xianlu Laura Peng, William J Polacheck, Jen Jen Yeh, Sarah E Shelton

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Angiogenesis, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Charles W BlackledgeLampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Sarah GullionWilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Ian McCabeDepartment of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Ngan N K VanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Arthi HariharanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Changfei LuanLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Xianlu Laura PengLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
William J PolacheckLampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Jen Jen YehLineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Sarah E SheltonLampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. seshelto@ncsu.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-9358-058X

Funding

Stand Up To Cancer SU2C-AACR-PS-40UNC SToP Cancer SPORE Career Enhancement Program Award
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the deadliest cancer types, is dominated by a tumor microenvironment (TME) that is desmoplastic, immunosuppressive, and generally unresponsive to conventional cancer treatments. Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) are thought to drive many of the features of PDAC that contribute to treatment resistance, yet CAFs exhibit wide phenotypic heterogeneity with unclear biological and clinical implications. Recent work has identified CAF subtypes - tumor-restraining CAFs (RestCAFs) or tumor-promoting CAFs (ProCAFs) - that correlate with overall survival. Therefore, this study aims to identify CAF subtype-dependent functional effects in the TME using 3D microphysiological systems, focusing primarily on their interactions with vasculature. Microfluidic devices including a RestCAF line demonstrated increased levels of vasculogenesis and extracellular matrix remodeling, while devices containing a ProCAF line exhibited increased angiogenic sprouting and differential immune cell recruitment, such as monocyte migration into the TME. This work provides novel insights into the heterogeneous functions of CAFs in the TME and lays important groundwork for the development of CAF-targeted therapies in PDAC.

Indexed as

Cancer-Associated FibroblastsCarcinoma, Pancreatic DuctalNeovascularization, PathologicPancreatic NeoplasmsCell Line, TumorExtracellular MatrixHumansMicrophysiological SystemsTumor MicroenvironmentAngiogenesisCancer-associated fibroblastMicrofluidicsPancreatic cancerVasculature

Identifiers

PMID42265391
PMCPMC13249731

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.