TGFB1 and neoplasm: Herein we examine the role of ATM in PDAC tumour biology in both mice and men and provide evidence that loss of ATM (1) enhances acinar-to-ductal reprogramming (ADR) via altered TGFβ-superfamily signalling, (2) is associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and a gain in tumour initiating properties and (3) acts as an independent prognostic marker as ATM depletion correlates significantly with survival.