George Bhatt

George Bhatt studies Hedgehog and NOTCH signaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, where stromal Hedgehog activation contributes to the desmoplastic tumor microenvironment. His research has characterized paracrine Hedgehog signaling between pancreatic cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts and its role in creating a drug-impenetrable tumor stroma. He has evaluated Hedgehog pathway inhibition as a stromal depletion strategy to improve drug delivery in pancreatic cancer. His work has informed clinical trials targeting the stroma in pancreatic cancer treatment.