A pancreatic stellate cell from a mouse with pancreatic cancer, with muscle actin fibers stained in pink, the nucleus stained blue, and dots of white-stained fibroblast activation protein BRANDON WARE

Researchers at Emory University are studying pancreatic stellate cells, so named because of their star-like appearance, isolated from mouse models of pancreatic cancer. The scientists are probing the tumor microenvironment that includes these cells, which are a type of fibroblast. Pancreatic stellate cells can secrete molecules that help tumors grow and suppress the immune system’s response. This image won second place in the Integrated Cellular Imaging core GDBBS 2019 image competition.