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Dynamic Evolution of Fibroblasts Revealed by Single Cell RNA Sequencing of Human Pancreatic Cancer

Understanding the constituents of the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment may illuminate more efficacious targets for treating this aggressive malignancy. However, the compositional changes occurring in untreated and treated PDAC relative to both normal and inflamed pancreas have not been well characterized. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the PDAC tumor microenvironment relative to the non-cancerous pancreas, we performed single-cell expression profiling (10X Genomics Chromium) on samples of upfront resectable PDAC, FOLFIRINOX-based treated PDAC, chronic pancreatitis, and normal pancreas specimens from 19 patients. Spatial gene expression profiling (10X Genomics Visium) was performed to gain additional insight into cell populations. Our analysis revealed that fibroblasts are central mediators of cell-cell communication in both inflamed and malignant settings and defined unique roles for these cell populations in different disease contexts.