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Muc13 Modulated Nanomechanical And Biophysical Responses In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Andrew E. Massey

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Even with recent advances in diagnostic tools, chemotherapeutic regimens, and biomarkers for earlier detection, it still has dismal survival rates. Part of the reason for this is the inherent difficulty in detecting and treating this disease. Recent findings suggest that the altered expression of mucins, including MUC13, may be useful molecular signatures for early disease diagnosis, chemotherapy response and predicting patient survival. MUC13, a recently identified transmembrane glycoprotein, is normally associated with forming a protective barrier on epithelial tissues. However, its overexpression/aberrant subcellular localization has been associated with cancer, disease …