Jason R. Pitarresi PhD

Jason R. Pitarresi graduated with his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University Biochemistry Program in September 2016. Jason’s Ph.D. work focuses on analyzing the role of hedgehog signaling in pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts by conditionally deleting the key signal transducer Smoothened in pancreatic fibroblasts in the context of a Kras-driven genetically engineered mouse tumor model. Upcoming manuscripts will show novel roles for hedgehog signaling in the pancreatic tumorgenesis cascade that will help to re-define the functional crosstalk that occurs between pancreatic tumor cells and their associated fibroblasts.