STAT3 and familial pancreatic carcinoma: Phosphorylated Stat3 was readily detected in all five models, consistent with previous reports showing aberrant activation in pancreatic cancer cells (DeArmond et al, 2003), but there was no significant decrease in the levels following treatment with NVP-BEZ235 (Figure 4), suggesting that the mechanisms of Stat3 activation are largely independent of PI3K signalling.