Deconstructing Pancreatic Cancer Using Next Generation-Omic Technologies–From Discovery to Knowledge-Guided Platforms for Better Patient Management

Comprehensive molecular landscaping studies reveal a potentially brighter future for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Blood-borne biomarkers obtained from minimally invasive “liquid biopsies” are now being trialled for early disease detection and to track responses to therapy. Integrated genomic and transcriptomic studies using resectable tumour material have defined intrinsic patient subtypes and actionable genomic segments that promise a shift towards genome-guided patient management. Multimodal mapping of PDAC using spatially resolved single cell transcriptomics and imaging techniques has identified new potentially therapeutically actionable cellular targets and is providing new insights into PDAC tumour heterogeneity. Despite these rapid advances, defining biomarkers for patient selection remain limited. This review examines the current PDAC cancer biomarker ecosystem (identified in tumour and blood) and explores how advances in single cell sequencing and spatially resolved imaging modalities are being used to uncover new targets for therapeutic intervention and are transforming our understanding of this difficult to treat disease.

Understanding networks of actors involved in refugee access to higher education in Canada, England and France

In times of intense migrations, securing a brighter future through education has become a growing concern in many societies. In particular, access to higher education for refugees has been the object of multiple initiatives among governments, civil society and non-government organisations. However, only 3 per cent of refugees access higher education, and there is a need to better understand, support and develop successful access for refugees among policymakers, educators and researchers. This research takes an original comparative digital approach to identifying those networks in three countries: Canada, England and France. Our findings suggest that the nature of issues for refugee access to higher education is constructed differently in each national context, as the social relations between government, civil society, non-government agencies and higher education institutions are uniquely configured.

Alternative Bedding Materials for Poultry: Availability, Efficacy, and Major Constraints

The increasing demand of wood shavings (WS) and sawdust (SD) by other industries and growing concerns of potential chemical contaminants from wood products have amplified research interest in alternative bedding materials for commercial poultry. Several alternative materials—corn cob (CC), straws (ST) and hays (HA), sand (SA), shredded papers (SP), rice hulls (RH), peanut hulls (PH), and gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O2)—can replace conventional ones in poultry houses, depending on availability, cost, and ability to absorb and adsorb moisture and provide the birds enough room to exhibit their natural behaviors. Alternative materials hold a brighter future as bedding materials, but more studies about their physicochemical properties and litter management practices for optimum poultry welfare are recommended.