The co-clustering of monocytes co-cultured with PDAC tumor cells or fibroblasts, indicates that fibroblasts can also differentiate monocytes to macrophages with a TAM phenotype, characterized by expression of CD163 and CD206, markers known to be associated to pro-tumoral immunosuppressive TAMs63,64 (Fig. 4b, c, Supplementary Fig. 4a). This evidence concerns the gene MRC1 and neoplasm.