LAUSR

322Background: The ability of cancer cells to suppress apoptosis is critical for carcinogenesis. The Bcl-2-family of regulator proteins, including the anti-apoptotic members Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Mcl-1, contributes to a complex network in control of apoptosis. BH3-mimetics (e.g. ABT-263) can inhibit anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and therefore have been developed as potential cancer therapeutics. Aurora Kinase A (AKA) is over-expressed in pancreatic cancer (PC) and is expressed to regulate G2-M transition during mitosis, making it an attractive target for PC. In this study we hypothesized that a combination of mitotic arrest using an AKA inhibitor (e.g. MLN8237) would sensitize PC to induction of apoptosis by a BH3-mimetic. Methods: Pancreatic cell lines (AsPC-1, PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, HPAF-II) and patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids (PDO) were treated with a BH3-mimetic (ABT-263) alone, an AKA inhibitor (MLN8237) alone, or the combination in comparison to untreated controls. Cell viability was measured u...