Matthias Hebrok, PhD
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

My work focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying pancreas development and disease, including diabetes and pancreatic cancer. My research on the role of embryonic signaling pathways in these processes has provided a glimpse into how tight regulation of these signaling events is imperative for proper organogenesis, maintenance of organ function, and prevention of pancreatic cancer. My lab has made important insights into how differentiated cells in the exocrine pancreas, namely duct and acinar cells, undergo a process of dedifferentiation during the early stages of neoplasia that can lead to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), a particularly lethal cancer in humans.