Preliminary work of the working group, led by Professor Ingrid Herr from the University Hospital Heidelberg, Dept. Molecular Oncosurgery,  have shown that pancreatic tumors grow well in embryonated chicken eggs. Now, the research group wants to develop methods in order to characterize cancer stem cells by using eggs and to test the efficacy of new drugs. The research is promoted by the  German Federal Ministry for Education and Research with 550,000 euros in the next three years.

So far this research is being done with a small piece of the patient's tumor tissue which is transplanted under the skin of mice where they grow to painful tumors which are treated by injections. Instead transplantation of under the mice´ skin tumor cells of patients can now be transplanted to the sclera of incubated chicken eggs after a small part of the shell was carefully removed.

Pancreatic cancer cells grow there forming blood vessel containing tumors and metastases. The chicken embryo itself does not develop the tumor, it will be euthanized in the egg during the 18th day of its development.

Pancreatic cancer is a very serious tumor. It spreads aggressively, is distributed to other organs and largely resistant to common therapies. The researchers suggest that cancer stem cells that are resistant to common drugs and radiation are responsible for it. Therefore new treatment approaches have to be found that can destroy cancer cells.

In the next three years the Heidelberg scientists want to work out this tumor model for pancreatic cancer so it can be used for standardized therapy studies for detecting specific markers for cancer stem cells.

Further information (in German):
http://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/