Just the Beginning

So far, I have gotten to the point of creating the spheroids of the pancreatic cancer cells. Creating the spheroids is in and of itself the beginning of the process, but a process of its own. After the spheroids are created, we will test certain drugs on the cells. The specific drugs are to be decided, although the one certain drug is Triptolide, which is believed to inhibit cell growth. That is the direction of the project in the future, but for now, the focus is on growing the spheroids. These spheroids must be grown carefully using the sterile technique in order to prevent contamination, but once this arduous process is completed, we will move on to the drug testing.

Abstract/Project Beginning

Scientists can use 3-D models of pancreatic cancer cells to understand the ways in which they work and interact with surroundings. This experiment starts off with the development of spheroids, which are the above-mentioned models. After these spheroids are developed, the project can go in many different directions. The current plan is to experiment on the metabolic pathways. Pancreatic cancer cells tend to do glycolysis. So, the experiment will definitely attempt to check how their glycolysis can be altered. However, there is also potential for drug testing. Certain drugs can be tested, and how these drugs affect the cells can be measured.