However, multiple studies have shown that the activation of the pathway, while unnecessary for normal growth of most cells in tissue culture, is essential for RAS driven transformation: Experimentally, the knockdown of RALA did not affect normal growth in 2D but severely suppressed the soft agar growth (3D growth) and xenograft tumor formation of 9/10 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines (13). Here, RALA is linked to exocrine pancreatic carcinoma.