Digital Commons Network^™

Crosstalk Of Pyroptosis And Cytokine In The Tumor Microenvironment: From Mechanisms To Clinical Implication, Hua Wang, Tao Wang, Shuxiang Yan, Jinxin Tang, Yibo Zhang, Haodong Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In the realm of cancer research, the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression, shaped by complex interactions between cancer cells and surrounding non-cancerous cells. Cytokines, as essential immunomodulatory agents, are secreted by various cellular constituents within the TME, including immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and cancer cells themselves. These cytokines facilitate intricate communication networks that significantly influence tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and immune suppression. Pyroptosis contributes to TME remodeling by promoting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and sustaining chronic inflammation, impacting processes such as immune escape and angiogenesis. However, challenges remain due to the complex …

Analysis Of 1386 Epileptogenic Brain Lesions Reveals Association With Dyrk1a And Egfr, Christian M Boßelmann, Costin Leu, Tobias Brünger, Lucas Hoffmann, Sara Baldassari, Mathilde Chipaux, Roland Coras, Katja Kobow, Hajo Hamer, Daniel Delev, Karl Rössler, Christian G Bien, Thilo Kalbhenn, Tom Pieper, Till Hartlieb, Kerstin Becker, Lisa Ferguson, Robyn M Busch, Stéphanie Baulac, Peter Nürnberg, Imad Najm, Ingmar Blümcke, Dennis Lal

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Lesional focal epilepsy (LFE) is a common and severe seizure disorder caused by epileptogenic lesions, including malformations of cortical development (MCD) and low-grade epilepsy-associated tumors (LEAT). Understanding the genetic etiology of these lesions can inform medical and surgical treatment. We conducted a somatic variant enrichment mega-analysis in brain tissue from 1386 individuals who underwent epilepsy surgery, including 599 previously unpublished individuals with ultra-deep ( > 1600x) targeted panel sequencing. Here we confirm four known associations (BRAF, SLC35A2, MTOR, PTPN11), support eight associations without prior statistical support (FGFR1, PIK3CA, AKT3, NF1, PTEN, RHEB, KRAS, NRAS), and identify novel associations for two genes, …

Akt Kinases As Therapeutic Targets, Dalal Hassan, Craig Menges, Joseph Testa, Alfonso Bellacosa

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

AKT, or protein kinase B, is a central node of the PI3K signaling pathway that is pivotal for a range of normal cellular physiologies that also underlie several pathological conditions, including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, overgrowth syndromes, and neoplastic transformation. These pathologies, notably cancer, arise if either the activity of AKT or its positive or negative upstream or downstream regulators or effectors goes unchecked, superimposed on by its intersection with a slew of other pathways. Targeting the PI3K/AKT pathway is, therefore, a prudent countermeasure. AKT inhibitors have been tested in many clinical trials, primarily in combination with other drugs. While …

Maternal Low-Protein Diet Leads To Mitochondrial Dysfunction And Impaired Energy Metabolism In The Skeletal Muscle Of Male Rats, Chellakkan S Blesson, Chandra Yallampalli

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

A prenatal low-protein (LP) diet disrupts glucose homeostasis in adult offspring. Skeletal muscles are one of the main sites of glucose clearance, and mitochondria residing in the muscle fibers are central to glucose homeostasis. Our previous studies indicated that impaired mitochondrial health is central to dysregulated glucose metabolism in the gastrocnemius muscle of the LP-programmed female rats. In addition, dysfunctional mitochondria are often an indicator of underlying irregularities in energy metabolism and metabolic inflexibility. Therefore, this study examined the mitochondrial function and metabolic flexibility in the skeletal muscles of prenatal LP-programmed adult male rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly allotted …

A Tetramer Of Bcl11a Is Required For Stable Protein Production And Fetal Hemoglobin Silencing, I-Te Chu, Stacy Wang, Alia Alshaye, Kirstin Drainville, Altantsetseg Buyanbat, Frédérique Bienfait, Karin Tenglin, Qian Zhu, Stuart H Orkin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Down-regulation of BCL11A protein reverses the fetal (HbF, α2γ2) to adult (HbA, α2β2) hemoglobin switch and is exploited in gene-based therapy for hemoglobin disorders. Due to reliance on ex vivo cell manipulation and marrow transplant, such therapies cannot lessen disease burden. To develop novel small molecule approaches, we interrogated the state of BCL11A protein in erythroid cells. We report that tetramer formation mediated by a single zinc-finger (ZnF0) is required for production of steady-state protein. Beyond its role in protein stability, the tetramer state is necessary for γ-globin gene repression, as an engineered monomer fails to engage a critical corepressor …

De-Identification Is Not Enough: A Comparison Between De-Identified And Synthetic Clinical Notes

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

For sharing privacy-sensitive data, de-identification is commonly regarded as adequate for safeguarding privacy. Synthetic data is also being considered as a privacy-preserving alternative. Recent successes with numerical and tabular data generative models and the breakthroughs in large generative language models raise the question of whether synthetically generated clinical notes could be a viable alternative to real notes for research purposes. In this work, we demonstrated that (i) de-identification of real clinical notes does not protect records against a membership inference attack, (ii) proposed a novel approach to generate synthetic clinical notes using the current state-of-the-art large language models, (iii) evaluated …

Building Capacity In Dissemination And Implementation Research: The Presence And Impact Of Advice Networks, Allison J L'Hotta, Rebekah R Jacob, Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan, Russell E Glasgow, Sharon E Straus, Wynne E Norton, Ross C Brownson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: As dissemination and implementation (D&I) research increases, we must continue to expand training capacity and research networks. Documenting, understanding, and enhancing advice networks identifies key connectors and areas where networks are less established. In 2012 Norton et al. mapped D&I science advice and collaboration networks. The current study builds on this work and aims to map current D&I research advice networks.

METHODS: D&I researchers in the United States (US) and Canada were identified through a combination of publication metrics, and key persons identified networks and were invited to participate (n = 1,576). In this social network analysis study, participants …

Strprofiler: Efficient Comparisons Of Short Tandem Repeat Profiles For Biomedical Model Authentication., Jared M Andrews, Michael W Lloyd, Steven Neuhauser, Margaret Bundy, Emily L Jocoy, Susan Airhart, Carol J Bult, Yvonne A Evrard, Jeffrey Chuang, Suzanne Baker

Faculty Research 2024

SUMMARY: Short tandem repeat (STR) profiling is commonly performed for authentication of biomedical models of human origin, yet no tools exist to easily compare sets of STR profiles to each other or an existing database in a high-throughput manner. Here, we present STRprofiler, a Python package, command line tool, and Shiny application providing methods for STR profile comparison and cross-contamination detection. STRprofiler can be run with custom databases or used to query against the Cellosaurus cell line database.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: STRprofiler is freely available as a Python package with a rich CLI from PyPI https://pypi.org/project/strprofiler/ with source code available …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of In-Hospital Adverse Events After Scopolamine Administration: Insights From A Retrospective Cohort Study Using A Large Nationwide Inpatient Database, George Sun, Marc Torjman, Kevin Min

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Scopolamine is a widely used antiemetic in anesthetic practice, particularly for postoperative and post-discharge nausea and vomiting. Despite its frequent usage and recognized efficacy, concerns have emerged regarding the potential for increased side effects, particularly in elderly patients. Further research is needed to assess safety and determine age thresholds for adverse events. This study hypothesizes associations between perioperative scopolamine use, worse clinical outcomes, increased pneumonia, delirium, urinary retention, and readmissions.

METHODS: A large, retrospective cohort study was performed using the TriNetX Analytics Network database on patients undergoing major surgical procedures between Jan 1, 2009, and March 21, 2018, to …

Complement Immune System In Pulmonary Hypertension-Cooperating Roles Of Circadian Rhythmicity In Complement-Mediated Vascular Pathology, Hunter Devaughn, Haydn E Rich, Anthony Shadid, Priyanka K Vaidya, Marie-Francoise Doursout, Pooja Shivshankar

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Originally discovered in the 1890s, the complement system has traditionally been viewed as a "compliment" to the body's innate and adaptive immune response. However, emerging data have shown that the complement system is a much more complex mechanism within the body involved in regulating inflammation, gene transcription, attraction of macrophages, and many more processes. Sustained complement activation contributes to autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Pulmonary hypertension is a disease with a poor prognosis and an average life expectancy of 2-3 years that leads to vascular remodeling of the pulmonary arteries; the pulmonary arteries are essential to host homeostasis, as they divert …

Strategies To Enhance Diagnostic Capabilities For The New Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (Dr-Tb) Drugs, Onno W Akkerman

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The global burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) continues to challenge healthcare systems worldwide. There is a critical need to tackle DR-TB by enhancing diagnostics and drug susceptibility testing (DST) capabilities, particularly for emerging DR-TB drugs. This endeavor is crucial to optimize the efficacy of new therapeutic regimens and prevent the resistance and overuse of these invaluable weapons. Despite this urgency, there remains a lack of comprehensive review of public health measures aimed at improving the diagnostics and DST capabilities. In this review, we outline strategies to enhance the capabilities, especially tailored to address the challenges posed by resistance to new …

Host Dna Depletion On Frozen Human Respiratory Samples Enables Successful Metagenomic Sequencing For Microbiome Studies, Viral S Shah, Thi Tran, Matthew Ross, Juwan Cormier, Aribah Baig, Ching-Ying Huang, Laura Brenner, Isabel Neuringer, Katrine Whiteson, J Kirk Harris, Amy D Willis, Peggy S Lai

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Most respiratory microbiome studies use amplicon sequencing due to high host DNA. Metagenomics sequencing offers finer taxonomic resolution, phage assessment, and functional characterization. We evaluated five host DNA depletion methods on frozen nasal swabs from healthy adults, sputum from people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from critically ill patients. Median sequencing depth was 76.4 million reads per sample. Untreated nasal, sputum, and BAL had 94.1%, 99.2%, and 99.7% host reads, respectively. Host depletion effects varied by sample type, generally increasing microbial reads, species and functional richness; this was mediated by higher effective sequencing depth. Rarefaction curves showed …

Context, Mechanisms And Community Engagement In Implementation Strategies: A Systematic Review Protocol Of Implementation Strategies Designed Using Implementation Mapping, Jennifer Stockton

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Implementation Mapping (IM) has increasingly been used for the design and/or selection and tailoring implementation strategies to promote the effective translation of evidence-based interventions into practice. IM is a tool for guiding the systematic, iterative, step-by-step design process that helps guide the co-creation of theory-based, evidence-informed implementation strategies. This protocol aims to describe the methods of the planned systematic review that will (1) examine the overall landscape of IM in developing implementation strategies, (2) explore the mechanisms of implementation strategies developed using IM and (3) investigate the use of IM and community engagement in the development of implementation strategies. …

Human Single Cell Rna-Sequencing Reveals A Targetable Cd8+ Exhausted T Cell Population That Maintains Mouse Low-Grade Glioma Growth, Rasha Barakat, Jit Chatterjee, Rui Mu, Xuanhe Qi, Xingxing Gu, Igor Smirnov, Olivia Cobb, Karen Gao, Angelica Barnes, Jonathan Kipnis, David H Gutmann

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In solid cancers, T cells typically function as cytotoxic effectors to limit tumor growth, prompting therapies that capitalize upon this antineoplastic property (immune checkpoint inhibition; ICI). Unfortunately, ICI treatments have been largely ineffective for high-grade brain tumors (gliomas; HGGs). Leveraging several single-cell RNA sequencing datasets, we report greater CD8

Blood Matters: The Hematological Signatures Of Coronavirus Infection, Ayelen Toro, Ana P Arévalo, Marianoel Pereira-Gómez, Agustina Sabater, Eric A Zizzi, Gaston Pascual, Jorge L Pórfido, Ines Achinelli, Rocio Seniuk, Juan Bizzotto, Pablo Sanchis, Alvaro Olivera, Alejandro Leyva, Pilar Moreno, Alicia Costábile, Alvaro Fajardo, Federico Carrión, Martín Fló, Natalia Olivero-Deibe, Fernando Rodriguez, Nicolas Nin, Nicolas Anselmino, Estefania Labanca, Elba Vazquez, Javier Cotignola, Daniel F Alonso, Maria P Valacco, Marcelo Marti, Francesco Gentile, Artem Cherkasov, Martina Crispo, Gonzalo Moratorio, Geraldine Gueron

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent developments have broadened our perception of SARS-CoV-2, indicating its capability to affect the body systemically beyond its initial recognition as a mere respiratory pathogen. However, the pathways of its widespread are not well understood. Employing a dual-modality approach, we integrated findings from a Murine Hepatitis Virus (MHV) infection model with corroborative clinical data to investigate the pervasive reach of Coronaviruses. The novel presence of viral particles within red blood cells (RBCs) was demonstrated via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, with computational modeling elucidating a potential heme-mediated viral entry mechanism via Spike protein affinity. Our data affirm viral localization in RBCs, …

Focal Deletions Of A Promoter Tether Activate The Irx3 Oncogene In T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Sunniyat Rahman, Gianna Bloye, Nadine Farah, Jonas Demeulemeester, Joana R Costa, Rachael Pocock, Adam Turna, Lingyi Wang, Soowah Lee, Adele K Fielding, Juliette Roels, Roman Jaksik, Małgorzata Dawidowska, Pieter Van Vlierberghe, Suzana Hadjur, Jim R Hughes, James O J Davies, Alejandro Gutierrez, Michelle A Kelliher, Peter Van Loo, Mark A Dawson, Marc R Mansour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Oncogenes can be activated in cis through multiple mechanisms including enhancer hijacking events and noncoding mutations that create enhancers or promoters de novo. These paradigms have helped parse somatic variation of noncoding cancer genomes, thereby providing a rationale to identify noncanonical mechanisms of gene activation. Here we describe a novel mechanism of oncogene activation whereby focal copy number loss of an intronic element within the FTO gene leads to aberrant expression of IRX3, an oncogene in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Loss of this CTCF-bound element downstream to IRX3 (+224 kb) leads to enhancer hijack of an upstream developmentally active …

The Pharmacogenomic And Immune Landscape Of Snornas In Human Cancers, Runhao Wang, Chengxuan Chen, Yuan Liu, Mei Luo, Jingwen Yang, Lifei Ma, Chunru Lin, Lixia Diao, Leng Han

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs primarily known for their role in the chemical modification of other RNAs. Recent studies suggested that snoRNAs may play a broader role in anti-cancer treatments such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies. Despite these insights, the comprehensive landscape of snoRNA associations with drug response and immunotherapy outcomes remains unexplored. In this study, we identified 79,448 and 75,185 associations between snoRNAs and drug response using data from VAEN and CancerRxTissue, respectively. Additionally, we discovered 29,199 associations between snoRNAs and immune checkpoint genes and 47,194 associations between snoRNAs and immune cell infiltrations. Sixteen …

Cognition In Patients With Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion At Baseline And Post-Adrenalectomy, Andreas Ebbehoj, Karthik Thangamuthu, Malavika Suresh, Catherine D Zhang, Sophia Nevin, Vanessa Fell, Elizabeth J Atkinson, Sara J Achenbach, Nikki H Stricker, Irina Bancos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: The impact of mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) on cognition is incompletely characterized. We aimed to assess cognition in patients with MACS, identify factors associated with lower cognition, and determine the impact of adrenalectomy on cognition.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study (4/2019 to 10/2022) and a longitudinal cohort study (10/2021 to 9/2023) of adults with MACS and referent subjects. Cognition was assessed with National Institute of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery and reported as standardized T scores (adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and education) for fluid, crystallized, and total composite cognition. Participants were assessed with urine steroid profiling (liquid …

The Brain Initiative Data-Sharing Ecosystem: Characteristics, Challenges, Benefits, And Opportunities, Nicole R Provenza, Dominique Duncan, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Amy L Mcguire, Sameer A Sheth, Mary A Majumder

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

In this paper, we provide an overview and analysis of the BRAIN Initiative data-sharing ecosystem. First, we compare and contrast the characteristics of the seven BRAIN Initiative data archives germane to data sharing and reuse, namely data submission and access procedures and aspects of interoperability. Second, we discuss challenges, benefits, and future opportunities, focusing on issues largely specific to sharing human data and drawing on N = 34 interviews with diverse stakeholders. The BRAIN Initiative-funded archive ecosystem faces interoperability and data stewardship challenges, such as achieving and maintaining interoperability of data and archives and harmonizing research participants’ informed consents for …

Creating A Sense Of Place When Implementing A New Emergency Department In Denmark: A Qualitative Study, Jeanette Wassar Kirk, Per Nilsen, Ove Andersen, Nina Thórný Stefánsdóttir, Mette Bendtz Lindstrøm, Byron J Powell, Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Physical locations play an essential yet often overlooked role in healthcare implementation processes. Implementation Science frameworks such as the Theoretical Domains Framework, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and the Implementation in Context framework acknowledge the importance of the physical environment, but they often treat it as a passive backdrop for change. However, from a cultural geographic perspective, spaces and places are dynamic, influencing behavior, social structures, and the acceptance of new practices. This study aims to explore how managers and emloyees develop a sense of place in a new emergency department (ED) and how these spatial dynamics influence …

Spatial, Transcriptomic, And Epigenomic Analyses Link Dorsal Horn Neurons To Chronic Pain Genetic Predisposition, Cynthia M Arokiaraj, Alexander Chamessian, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Key mechanisms underlying chronic pain occur within the dorsal horn. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified genetic variants predisposed to chronic pain. However, most of these variants lie within regulatory non-coding regions that have not been linked to spinal cord biology. Here, we take a multi-species approach to determine whether chronic pain variants impact the regulatory genomics of dorsal horn neurons. First, we generate a large rhesus macaque single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) atlas and integrate it with available human and mouse datasets to produce a single unified, species-conserved atlas of neuron subtypes. Cellular-resolution spatial transcriptomics in mouse shows the precise …

Antithrombotic Efficacy And Bleeding Risks Of Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Treatments, Halina H.L. Leung, Zohra Ahmadi, Brendan Lee, John Casey, Sumita Ratnasingam, Steven E. Mckenzie, Jose Perdomo, Beng H. Chong

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

Current guidelines for treating vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) recommend nonheparin anticoagulants and IV immunoglobulin (IVIg). However, the efficacy of these treatments remains uncertain due to case studies involving small patient numbers, confounding factors (eg, concurrent treatments), and a lack of animal studies. A recent study proposed danaparoid and heparin as potential VITT therapies because of their ability to disrupt VITT IgG-platelet factor 4 (PF4) binding. Here, we examined the effects of various anticoagulants (including unfractionated [UF] heparin, danaparoid, bivalirudin, fondaparinux, and argatroban), IVIg, and the FcγRIIa receptor-blocking antibody, IV.3. Our investigation focused on VITT IgG-PF4 binding, platelet activation, thrombocytopenia, …

Characterising The Anxiogenic Network From Functional Connectivity Analysis Of The Co2 Challenge Model, Daniel Graham, Santra Mathew, Jonathan Marsden, Alastair D Smith, Gary Smerdon, Stephen D Hall

School of Psychology

The CO2 challenge model (CCM) is a gas inhalation paradigm that provides precisely controlled anxiety induction in experimental settings. Despite its potential as an experimental model of anxiety, our understanding of the neural effects of the CCM is incomplete. This study employs resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to explore functional connectivity (FC) changes underlying the CCM. Following a preliminary CO2 tolerance assessment, participants completed an MRI session that included three rs-fMRI scans: during inhalation of control air (pre and post), and during a 6% CCM exposure. Here, we confirm that 6% CCM is a tolerable anxiogenic model in the …

Clinical Effects Of Dexamethasone Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Hospitalized With Covid-19: Outcomes From A Single Academic Health System, William M. Garneau, Matthew J. Lankiewicz, Catherine R. Lesko, Ashley P. Lauriello, Kelly A. Gebo, Sophie M. Lanzkron

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone is a steroid used in the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. However, the effect of dexamethasone in patients with SCD remains unclear given that steroids may precipitate vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) in patients with SCD.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with SCD who were hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Health System between June 1, 2020 and June 26, 2022. We reviewed individual charts to assess severity of illness and eligibility for dexamethasone treatment. The exposure of interest was treatment with dexamethasone. Outcomes of interest included incident VTE, length of hospital stay, ICU admission, …

Surgical Treatment Of Brachiocephalic Artery Aneurysm With Impending Rupture And Tracheal Communication, Soon Jin Kim, Kyung Hwa Kim, Jong Hun Kim, Tae Yun Kim

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Brachiocephalic artery aneurysm is uncommon but may require surgery because it tends to enlarge, rupture, or cause symptoms related to thrombosis or compression. This case report describes a brachiocephalic artery aneurysm in a 72-year-old man who presented at the hospital with dyspnea and hemoptysis resulting from impending rupture and tracheal communication.

Metabolite Signatures Of Chronological Age, Aging, Survival, And Longevity, Paola Sebastiani, Mary F Feitosa, Mary K Wojczynski, Gary J Patti, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Metabolites that mark aging are not fully known. We analyze 408 plasma metabolites in Long Life Family Study participants to characterize markers of age, aging, extreme longevity, and mortality. We identify 308 metabolites associated with age, 258 metabolites that change over time, 230 metabolites associated with extreme longevity, and 152 metabolites associated with mortality risk. We replicate many associations in independent studies. By summarizing the results into 19 signatures, we differentiate between metabolites that may mark aging-associated compensatory mechanisms from metabolites that mark cumulative damage of aging and from metabolites that characterize extreme longevity. We generate and validate a metabolomic …

Rsk1 Dependency In Flt3-Itd Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Tim Kong, Angelo B A Laranjeira, Christopher T Letson, Layow Yu, Fan He, Aarthi Jayanthan, Gerrit Los, Sandra E Dunn, Grant A Challen, Stephen T Oh

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Internal tandem duplications (ITD) in fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) represent the most common genetic alteration in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we identify ribosomal protein s6 kinase a1 (RSK1) as a core dependency in FLT3-ITD AML and unveil the existence of crucial bi-directional regulation. RSK1 perturbation resulted in marked apoptosis and abrogated phosphorylation of FLT3 and associated downstream signaling cascades in FLT3-ITD AML cell lines. Using cycloheximide, MG-132, and ubiquitination assays, we further demonstrate mechanistically that RSK1 regulates FLT3-ITD activity, and protein stability through deubiqutinase USP1, which we identify as a second dependency. Importantly, multivariate analysis revealed …

Magrolimab Plus Rituximab In Relapsed/Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: 3-Year Follow-Up Of A Phase 1/2 Trial, Amitkumar Mehta, Leslie Popplewell, Graham P Collins, Sonali M Smith, Ian W Flinn, Nancy L Bartlett, Nilanjan Ghosh, Gal Hacohen-Kleiman, Yanan Huo, Linda Su-Feher, Camille Renard, Ranjana Advani, Mark Roschewski

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Relapsed/refractory (R/R) indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) is generally considered incurable with current treatment options. Previous phase 1b/2 results showed combining magrolimab (anti-cluster-of-differentiation [CD] 47 antibody) with the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (M+R) has antitumor activity against R/R iNHL. We report 3-year follow-up data from this phase 1b/2 study assessing long-term safety and efficacy of M+R in R/R iNHL. After magrolimab priming, 4 patient groups in phase 1b M+R received 10 to 45-mg/kg magrolimab doses with 375 mg/m2 rituximab. Phase 2 explored 30 and 45 mg/kg magrolimab. Primary end points were treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and objective response rate (ORR). Secondary end …

Protective Effect And Molecular Mechanisms Of Human Non-Neutralizing Cross-Reactive Spike Antibodies Elicited By Sars-Cov-2 Mrna Vaccination, Jordan J Clark, Ali H Ellebedy, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neutralizing antibodies correlate with protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recent studies, however, show that binding antibody titers, in the absence of robust neutralizing activity, also correlate with protection against disease progression. Non-neutralizing antibodies cannot directly protect against infection but may recruit effector cells and thus contribute to the clearance of infected cells. Additionally, they often bind conserved epitopes across multiple variants. Here, we characterize 42 human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-vaccinated individuals. Most of these antibodies exhibit no neutralizing activity in vitro, but several non-neutralizing antibodies provide protection against lethal challenge with SARS-CoV-2 …

Comparing Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines And Immune Checkpoint Therapy Unveils An Effective Vaccine And Anti-Trem2 Macrophage-Targeting Dual Therapy, Sunita Keshari, Martina Molgora, Marco Colonna, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The goal of therapeutic cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is to promote T cells with anti-tumor capabilities. Here, we compared mutant neoantigen (neoAg) peptide-based vaccines with ICT in preclinical models. NeoAg vaccines induce the most robust expansion of proliferating and stem-like PD-1