MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved short non-coding RNAs that influence gene expression post-transcriptionally and regulate development, normal physiology and disease . MiRNAs have been demonstrated to regulate the initiation and progression of many malignancies by controlling oncogenic and tumor suppressive pathways . Among the earliest described oncogenic miRNAs were members of the mir-17~92 cluster [17, 18]. mir-17~92 has been implicated in a variety of cancer contexts , and inhibition of members of this cluster has been shown to impair tumor growth and survival [20, 21]. Profiling of human pancreatic tumors and pancreatic cancer cell lines has shown that miRNAs encoded by the mir-17~92 cluster and its paralogs–mir-106b~25 and mir-106a~363–are upregulated in tumors compared to normal pancreatic tissue or chronic pancreatitis [22, 23]. In addition, mir-17~92-encoded miRNAs are induced in precursor PanIN lesions, implicating them in early stages of PDAC development , and miR-17 overexpression has been associated with reduced pancreatic cancer patient survival . The mir-17~92 cluster was initially identified as oncogenic over a decade ago [18, 26]. Subsequent studies have demonstrated critical roles for this microRNA cluster in several malignancies including B-cell lymphoma, retinoblastoma, medulloblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and neuroblastoma [20, 21, 27–34]. Individual miRNAs within the cluster have been associated with specific tumorigenic properties. Of note, the miR-19 microRNAs have been associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis in gastric cancer , lung cancer  and colon cancer .