Oxytocin signalling in pancreatic cancer
Ferdinand Althammer
Group leader, Translational Neuroscience. Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University Hospital
Theatre room, CiMUS
About
Oxytocin (OXT) is increasingly recognized as a regulator of peripheral tumor biology, yet its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains unknown. We identify the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) as a novel driver of PDAC growth: OXTR is highly expressed in tumor cells, and both pharmacological inhibition and genetic knockdown suppress proliferation and promote apoptosis. OXTR antagonism reduces tumor growth by ~60% in vivo, establishing OXTergic signaling as a promising therapeutic vulnerability in PDAC.
Bio
- Althammer, F. and V. Grinevich (2017). "Diversity of oxytocin neurons: beyond magno- and parvocellular cell types?" J Neuroendocrinol.
- Baudon, A*., V. Grelot*, K. Y. Wang*, F. Althammer*, ... (2025). "Stress induces oxytocin-Galphai-dependent remodeling of astrocytes to shape neuronal response in the amygdala." Nat Commun.
- Hasan, M. T.*, F. Althammer*, ...(2019). "A Fear Memory Engram and Its Plasticity in the Hypothalamic Oxytocin System." Neuron 103(1): 133-146 e138.
- Iwasaki, M.*, A. Lefevre*, F. Althammer*, ...(2023). "An analgesic pathway from parvocellular oxytocin neurons to the periaqueductal gray in rats." Nat Commun 14(1): 1066.
- Wahis, J.*, A. Baudon*, F. Althammer*, ... (2021). "Astrocytes mediate the effect of oxytocin in the central amygdala on neuronal activity and affective states in rodents." Nat Neurosci.
Hosted by Dr. Isabel Ben Batalla, Molecular Oncology Group, CiMUS
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