CancerScan has successfully achieved its first milestone, establishing and documenting a diverse range of three-dimensional laboratory models of pancreatic cancer (spheroids). Developed by the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), with contributions from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), these models combine three different pancreatic cancer cell lines with varying combinations of supporting cells to reproduce selected aspects of the complex environment surrounding tumours. The models provide an experimental foundation for investigating tumour characteristics and treatment responses under different conditions.

As part of this milestone, five model configurations were also assessed following treatment with FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy. Four showed a decrease in cancer-cell viability, while the viability of supporting cells remained comparatively preserved; one configuration showed no apparent decrease in either cell population. These preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of studying treatment responses in different cell populations separately. The models will contribute to the project's subsequent experimental and computational work, supporting the development of a smart pathology slide scanner for pancreatic cancer diagnosis and patient-specific treatment recommendations. Further treatment assessments, including another chemotherapy combination, are ongoing.