mia paca-2 mia paca-2 mia paca-2 is a human pancreatic cancer cell line used extensively in pancreatic cancer research and therapy development. in 1977, mia paca-2 cells were derived from the carcinoma of a 65-year-old male. the cells exhibit ck5.6, ae1/ae3, e-cadherin, vimentin, chromogranin a, synaptophysin, sstr2, and ntr1, but not cd56. the cells have a round, epithelial morphology, and are adherent in cell culture. mia paca-2 has served for decades as a model of pancreatic cancer, and studies of mia paca-2 physiology have helped clarify the mechanisms of carcinogenesis in pancreatic cancer, aid the development of cancer cell lysates targeting igg production, and augmented drug-delivery methods relying on quantum dots.