Deploying mouse models of pancreatic cancer for chemoprevention studies.

With the advent of mouse models that recapitulate the cellular and molecular pathology of pancreatic neoplasia and cancer, it is now feasible to recruit and deploy these models for the evaluation of various chemopreventive and/or anticancer regimens. The highly lethal nature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) makes multiple areas of research a priority, including assessment of compounds that prevent or suppress the development of early lesions that can transform into PDAC. Currently, there are over a dozen models available, which range from homogeneous preneoplastic lesions with remarkable similarity to human pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasms to models with a more heterogeneous population of lesions including cystic papillary and mucinous lesions. The molecular features of these models may also vary in a manner comparable with the differences observed in lesion morphology, and so, navigating the route of model selection is not trivial. Yet, arming the community of cancer investigators with a repertoire of models and the guidance to select relevant models that fit their research themes promises to produce findings that will have clinical relevance.