AMANDA ANDERSSON

When we think of the pancreas, we often think of insulin and diabetes. However, more than 90% of the pancreas is made up of acinar cells. These cells have a demanding, high-risk job: they act as microscopic factories that produce the harsh digestive enzymes our bodies need to break down food.

If the pancreas is injured (due to trauma, genetics, or lifestyle factors), these enzymes can leak out uncontrollably, digesting the pancreas itself. This causes a painful and dangerous condition called pancreatitis, which is a major reason for hospital visits and a top risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Despite making up the vast majority of the pancreas, acinar cells are the least studied part of the organ. Why? Because scientists have not been able to keep them alive in the lab.

In this project Amanda Andersson-Rolf aims to uncover the mechanisms that regulate acinar cells and their enzyme secretion to, in the long-term, be able to develop new treatments for pancreatitis. To achieve this she and her team will leverage her recently established organoid model (also known as ‘mini-organ’) that mimics the developing pancreas and is the first to be able to de novo generate acinar cells in vitro. These acinar cells are not yet fully mature, meaning they do not produce the massive, toxic amounts of digestive enzymes that adult cells do. This lower enzyme production is a major advantage as it keeps the cells alive and gives the team a unique, stable window to finally study the fundamental mechanisms that regulate acinar cells.In parallel they also aim to develop a new organoid model of the adult pancreas, which will allow them to model pancreatitis in vitro.

The goal is to translate the knowledge of acinar cell regulation in development to prevent and treat the adult disease.