Overcoming the inaccessible fortress: Exploration of resistance patterns in pancreatic cancer to foster novel therapeutics

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease, with a poor survival rate and limited therapeutic options. Additionally, the few chemotherapeutic drugs available are often ineffective, due to innate or acquired resistance mechanisms that onset early after administration. In light of this, the primary objective of this dissertation was to shed light on mechanisms of chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer, with the end goal of fostering novel therapeutics. To this end a multidisciplinary approach was employed, combining pharmacology, biophysics, molecular biology and bioinformatics.