Shi-He Liu
University of Toledo, OH·Biomedical Engineering
Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers. A major obstacle to treating it is getting drugs into the tumor.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Pharmacology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
pancreatic cancer
pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
exosomes
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2028
What they work on
- Evaluate whether exosomes displaying both the tumor-homing peptide RGD and the CD47 "don't eat me" peptide on surface protein CD9 (ExoSmart) target pancreatic cancer, using stroma-rich 3D human tumor spheroids in vitro and in vivo.
- Test how well ExoSmart delivers chemotherapy in genetically engineered KPC mice that develop pancreatic tumors and in mice carrying patient-derived pancreatic tumor xenografts (PDX).
- Optimize multiple insertion sites in CD9 for tumor-targeting peptides, to adapt ExoSmart for personalized targeting of individual patients' pancreatic tumors.
More about the research
Exosomes are tiny natural bubbles that cells release to carry proteins, fats and genetic material to other cells. That makes them attractive as drug carriers. But exosomes do not seek out tumor cells on their own, and immune cells in the liver and spleen quickly remove much of them from the blood. The goal here is to engineer exosomes that find tumors, avoid clearance and stay in circulation longer.
Why it matters
Pancreatic cancer ranks fourth among U.S. cancer deaths, and treatment is limited by poor drug delivery. Engineered exosomes that home to tumors and avoid clearance by the liver and spleen could deliver chemotherapy more precisely to patients with pancreatic cancer. The approach could also become a platform for other cancer therapies and for diagnostics.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Saunjoo Yoon
University of Florida, FL·Pharmacology
Test the effectiveness of 4NSGnpcetu, anti-EGFR antibody-coated nanoparticles carrying a modified gemcitabine, in patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids with stroma and in primary tumor cells from patients.
Kenneth Olive
Columbia University, NY·Pharmacology
Trace how genetic resistance to pan-RAS inhibitors such as RMC-7977 evolves in pancreatic tumors, including MYC copy number gains, using mouse and human models and clinical trial samples, and identify new vulnerabilities it creates.
Wantong Yao
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, TX·Medicine & Clinical Research
Define the molecular pathways through which a newly identified stress-response regulator helps pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells survive nutrient shortage, low oxygen and oxidative stress, and evade the immune system.
The school
University of Toledo: 10 labs on PI Pages, $73M a year on research, 120 research doctorates a year.
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