Cancer Biology Commons^™

Desmoglein-2 As A Cancer Modulator: Friend Or Foe?, Kay Myo Min, Charlie Ffrench, Barbara Mcclure, Michael Ortiz, Emma Dorward, Michael Samuel, Lisa Ebert, Mỹ Mahoney, Claudine Bonder

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Desmoglein-2 (DSG2) is a calcium-binding single pass transmembrane glycoprotein and a member of the large cadherin family. Until recently, DSG2 was thought to only function as a cell adhesion protein embedded within desmosome junctions designed to enable cells to better tolerate mechanical stress. However, additional roles for DSG2 outside of desmosomes are continuing to emerge, particularly in cancer. Herein, we review the current literature on DSG2 in cancer and detail its impact on biological functions such as cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, invasion, intracellular signaling, extracellular vesicle release and vasculogenic mimicry. An increased understanding of the diverse repertoire of the biological …

27-Hydroxycholesterol And Dna Damage Repair: Implication In Prostate Cancer, Gloria Cecilia Galvan, Nadine Friedrich, Sanjay Das, James Daniels, Sara Pollan, Shweta Dambal, Ryusuke Suzuki, Sergio Sanders, Sungyong You, Hisashi Tanaka, Yeon-Joo Lee, Wei Yuan, Johann De Bono, Irina Vasilevskaya, Karen Knudsen, Michael Freeman, Stephen Freedland

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: We previously reported that cholesterol homeostasis in prostate cancer (PC) is regulated by 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC) and that CYP27A1, the enzyme that converts cholesterol to 27HC, is frequently lost in PCs. We observed that restoring the CYP27A1/27HC axis inhibited PC growth. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of 27HC-mediated anti-PC effects.

METHODS: We employed in vitro models and human transcriptomics data to investigate 27HC mechanism of action in PC. LNCaP (AR+) and DU145 (AR-) cells were treated with 27HC or vehicle. Transcriptome profiling was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChip™ microarray system. Differential expression was determined, and gene set enrichment …

Needle Biopsy Accelerates Pro-Metastatic Changes And Systemic Dissemination In Breast Cancer: Implications For Mortality By Surgery Delay, Hiroyasu Kameyama, Priya Dondapati, Reese Simmons, Macall Leslie, John Langenheim, Yunguang Sun, Misung Yi, Aubrey Rottschaefer, Rashmi Pathak, Shreya Nuguri, Kar-Ming Fung, Shirng-Wern Tsaih, Inna Chervoneva, Hallgeir Rui, Takemi Tanaka

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

ncreased breast cancer (BC) mortality risk posed by delayed surgical resection of tumor after diagnosis is a growing concern, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Our cohort analyses of early-stage BC patients reveal the emergence of a significantly rising mortality risk when the biopsy-to-surgery interval was extended beyond 53 days. Additionally, histology of post-biopsy tumors shows prolonged retention of a metastasis-permissive wound stroma dominated by M2-like macrophages capable of promoting cancer cell epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis. We show that needle biopsy promotes systemic dissemination of cancer cells through a mechanism of sustained activation of the COX-2/PGE₂/EP2 feedforward loop, …

Melittin: A Natural Component Of Honeybee Venom As A Potential Anti-Cancer Therapy, Niamh Donnellan, Anne M. Friel

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide and while chemotherapy is the main approach there are many negative associations in current treatment procedures. These include lack of selectivity, side effects and drug resistance. The hallmarks of cancer are a fundamental concept which aids the development of new means to treat human cancers through the understanding of the acquisition of these hallmarks from cells.

Melittin is a major peptide component of bee venom which has shown to be efficacious as an anticancer agent in preclinical and animal models. Melittin has many biological functions including pore formation in the phospholipid bilayer …

Predicting Stage Progression In Binet Stage A Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Salem H. Alshemmari, Mazyad Almazyad, Ahmed Alsarraf, Anita Kunhikrishnan, Asha M. Isaac, Andy Kaempf

Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy

Introduction: the variable clinical course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the lack of consensus on follow-up and treatment strategies have necessitated a prognostic model for identifying high-risk patients at the time of diagnosis. Methods: this study involved a retrospective analysis of demographic and clinical characteristics of 212 patients diagnosed with Binet stage A CLL and thus eligible for risk stratification by both the International Prognostic Score for Early-stage CLL (IPS-E) and the alternative IPS-E (AIPS-E). We evaluated the applicability of these prognostic indices in our young, Middle Eastern cohort (median age 59 at diagnosis). Results: during a study period …

Phi-1, An Endogenous Inhibitor Protein For Protein Phosphatase-1 And A Pan-Cancer Marker, Regulates Raf-1 Proteostasis, Jason Kirkbride, Garbo Nilsson, Jee In Kim, Kosuke Takeya, Yoshinori Tanaka, Hiroshi Tokumitsu, Futoshi Suizu, Masumi Eto

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

Raf-1, a multifunctional kinase, regulates various cellular processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration, by phosphorylating MAPK/ERK kinase and interacting with specific kinases. Cellular Raf-1 activity is intricately regulated through pathways involving the binding of regulatory proteins, direct phosphorylation, and the ubiquitin-proteasome axis. In this study, we demonstrate that PHI-1, an endogenous inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), plays a pivotal role in modulating Raf-1 proteostasis within cells. Knocking down endogenous PHI-1 in HEK293 cells using siRNA resulted in increased cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis. This heightened cell proliferation was accompanied by a 15-fold increase in ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Importantly, the observed …

Genomic Characterization Of Adolescent And Young Adult Cancers: Investigation Of Ewing Sarcoma Susceptibility And Chornobyl Thyroid Tumors, Olivia Lee

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancers, diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 39, can exhibit distinctive genetic and molecular characteristics. Reported epidemiologic findings and treatment outcomes based on pediatric and adult cancer studies are often not suitable for application to the AYA population, underscoring the need for more thorough genomic research. Advances in sequencing technologies have enabled comprehensive analyses of complex genomic characteristics of AYA cancers, crucial for understanding the underlying biology of these malignancies. Here, I have utilized advanced sequencing techniques and integrated analytic approaches to describe important genomic features in two different AYA cancer types: Ewing Sarcoma …

Kinome Profiling Identifies Mark3 And Stk10 As Potential Therapeutic Targets In Uveal Melanoma, Usman Baqai, Alison M. Kurimchak, Isabella Trachtenberg, Timothy J. Purwin, Jelan I. Haj, Anna Han, Kristine Luo, Nikole Fandino Pachon, Angela Jeon, Vivian Chua, Michael A. Davies, J Silvio Gutkind, Jeffrey L. Benovic, James S. Duncan, Andrew E. Aplin

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Most uveal melanoma cases harbor activating mutations in either GNAQ or GNA11. Despite activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway downstream of Gαq/11, there are no effective targeted kinase therapies for metastatic uveal melanoma. The human genome encodes numerous understudied kinases, also called the "dark kinome". Identifying additional kinases regulated by Gαq/11 may uncover novel therapeutic targets for uveal melanoma. In this study, we treated GNAQ-mutant uveal melanoma cell lines with a Gαq/11 inhibitor, YM-254890, and conducted a kinase signaling proteomic screen using multiplexed-kinase inhibitors followed by mass spectrometry. We observed downregulated expression and/or activity of 22 kinases. …

Oncogenic Kras And Telomere Biology In Crc Progression, Ronald Depinho

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

While colorectal cancer (CRC) patients diagnosed with localized stage disease (as defined by SEER) have a 5-year survival rate of 90%, this rate plunges to 14% for patients diagnosed with metastatic CRC. Consequently, there is an immediate imperative to elucidate the mechanisms that drive the transition to advanced CRC.

Human CRCs carrying oncogenic mutations in the KRAS oncogene, henceforth referred to as KRAS*, exhibit a 25% higher propensity for developing liver metastases. Similarly, in our CRC mouse model, engineered with an inducible Kras* transgene and conditional null alleles of Apc and Tp53 (referred to as iKAP), KRAS* has been …

Role Of The Immune System In The Modulation Of The Mmr-Deficient Intestinal Stem Cell Niche, Shepard Conner

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Mismatch Repair (MMR) is a crucial DNA repair system to maintain genomic integrity in cells that is integrated by specific genes including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2. These genes play a critical role in repairing errors that occur in base pairing by stabilizing the genetic material. When the MMR system fails to correct those errors, MMR deficiency occurs where monoallelic mutations in the MMR genes result in a condition known as Lynch Syndrome (LS). LS makes up approximately 3% of all colorectal cancer (CRC) and is regarded as a hereditary form of CRC, which progresses from MMR-deficient …

Pcbp1 Regulates Lifr Through Fam3c To Maintain Breast Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewal And Invasiveness, William S. Streitfeld

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The poly(rC) binding protein 1 gene (PCBP1) encodes the heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein E1 (hnRNPE1), a nucleic acid-binding protein that plays a tumor-suppressive role in mammary epithelial cells by regulating phenotypic plasticity and cell fate. Following the loss of PCBP1 function, the FAM3C gene (encoding the Interleukin-like EMT inducer, or “ILEI” protein) and the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIFR) gene are upregulated. Interaction between FAM3C and LIFR in the extracellular space induces phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3). Overexpression and/or hyperactivity of STAT3 has been detected in 40% of breast cancer cases and is associated with a …

Enteroendocrine Cell Regulation Of The Gut-Brain Axis, Joshua Barton, Annie Londregan, Tyler Alexander, Ariana Entezari, Manuel Covarrubias, Scott Waldman

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are an essential interface between the gut and brain that communicate signals about nutrients, pain, and even information from our microbiome. EECs are hormone-producing cells expressed throughout the gastrointestinal epithelium and have been leveraged by pharmaceuticals like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), terzepatide (Mounjaro), and retatrutide (Phase 2) for diabetes and weight control, and linaclotide (Linzess) to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and visceral pain. This review focuses on role of intestinal EECs to communicate signals from the gut lumen to the brain. Canonically, EECs communicate information about the intestinal environment through a variety of hormones, dividing EECs into …

Tak1 And Tbk1 Are Differentially Required By Gmp- And Lmpp-Like Leukemia Stem Cells, Austin P. Runde, Joseph Michael Cannova, Ryan Mack, Kanak Joshi, Mark Sellin, Allan Youmaran, Mattias Lenz, Rohit Thalla, Wei Wei, Peter Breslin S.J., Jiwang Zhang

School of Medicine

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) encompasses a diverse group of cancers that originate in the blood-forming tissues of the bone marrow. Aside from the M3 subtype (PML-RARA⁺), AML carries a 5-year survival rate of 28% for patients 20+ years of age. AML is the most common cancer of the hematopoietic system and is slightly more common in biological males; the average age at diagnosis is 68 years. Standard frontline treatment for AML is a 2-phase regimen of intensive chemotherapy (CTx) employing daunorubicin and cytarabine. Despite 60-70% of patients achieving complete remission (CR), at least half of CR-achieving patients …

Development Of Targeted Drug Delivery System To Improve Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Cancer, Poornima Devi Shaji, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Nirnoy Dan, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Colloquium

Introduction: About 95% of tumor arises from epithelial cell lining ducts known to be pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, with less than 5-7% survival rate. Unfortunately, little progress has been seen in the outcomes of patients with PDAC as tumor develops high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as gemcitabine (Gem). Immunotherapy has shown promising results in other cancers but limited response in pancreatic cancer due to desmoplasia and fibrotic tumor microenvironment. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but not in normal pancreas. Due to its high membrane expression, MUC13 may serve as an excellent target …

Early Development Of C3ar1-Targeting Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells For The Treatment Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Cameron Fraser

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive type of glioma, demonstrating extremely low long-term survival despite modern therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells have shown extreme levels of success in the treatment of B cell lymphomas through persistent anti-tumor activity. Prior research has demonstrated the therapeutic potential in targeting the C3a-C3aR1 pathway as it acts in an autocrine loop, maintaining the proliferation and survival of cancer stem cells within the tumor. Here, we reorient the treatment to target C3aR1 for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. In order to achieve this, Jurkat immortalized T cells will express various chimeric antigen receptor designs …

Tc-Ptp Overexpression Attenuates Skin Cancer Formation During Environmental Skin Carcinogenesis, Zahidur Rahmann, Carson Bogatto, Serena Olivarez, Dae Joon Kim

Research Symposium

Background: T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP), encoded by Ptpn2, has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor during skin carcinogenesis.

Methods: we generated a novel epidermal specific TC-PTP-overexpressing (K5HA.Ptpn2) mouse model to show that TC-PTP contributes to the attenuation of chemically induced skin carcinogenesis through the synergistic regulation of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and PI3K/AKT signaling.

Results: We found overexpression of TC-PTP increased epidermal sensitivity to DMBA-induced apoptosis and it decreased TPA-mediated hyperproliferation, coinciding with reduced epidermal thickness. Inhibition of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5 or AKT reversed the effects of TC-PTP overexpression on epidermal survival and proliferation. Mice overexpressing TC-PTP in …

Natural Remedies To Combat Aberrant Hallmark Signatures Including Altered Glycosylation In Oral Carcinoma, Kruti A. Mehta, Jayendra B. Patel, Prabhudas S. Patel

Research Symposium

Background: Tobacco associated oral cancers remain a major concern in India with higher incidence and mortality making it an Indian-centric burning issue. To combat this dreadful disease, we investigated effects of certain natural compounds on the hallmark signatures including glycosylation transcripts levels in oral carcinoma.

Methods: The tongue carcinoma cells- SAS cells were treated with tobacco compounds, natural compounds and Cisplatin. RNA was isolated from the cells and converted to cDNA. RT-qPCR was performed to evaluate expression levels of various genes.

Results: The treatment of tobacco compounds resulted in similar pattern of altered makers (ST3GAL1, NEU3, FUT5, FUT6, MMP2, BCL2) …

Microrna-145 Replacement As A Therapeutic Tool To Improve Trail Therapy, Sheema Khan, Saini Setua, Nirnoy Dan, Melida Flores Cantu, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Murali M. Yallapu, Stephen W. Behrman, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a third leading cause of cancer related deaths in US. Unlike other cancers, PanCa is highly resistant to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) that emerges as one of the most-promising therapy in clinical trials. Our group has previously identified microRNA-145 (miR-145) is downregulated in PanCa, the restoration of which inhibits tumor growth and enhances gemcitabine sensitivity. In this study, we have observed that miR-145 restoration in PanCa cells renders them sensitive to TRAIL treatment. Therefore, we have engineered unique superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPs) for co-delivering miR-145 and TRAIL in PanCa for improving their therapeutic response to TRAIL. The …

International Conference On Cancer Health Disparities, Juhi Rais, Asif Jafri, Neelam Shivnath, Habiba Khan, Md Arshad

Research Symposium

Background: Biochanin A, an isoflavone that is mainly present in red clover, has potent chemopreventive properties against many cancers. Ovarian carcinoma is fifth most common and deadliest gynaecological malignancy that causes the highest mortality in females worldwide. Hence a substantial need for new therapies for combating this gynaecological malignancy arises.

Methods: The present study aimed to investigate anti-cancerous potentials of biochanin A on cultured human ovarian carcinoma PA-1 cells through the cell viability assay, cellular apoptosis, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), involvement of ROS, cell cycle kinetics, and expression of apoptosis-related genes namely, p53, Bax, Bcl-2, Noxa and Puma. …

Immunepotent Crp Enhances Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cytotoxicity Through A Caspase Independent But Ros Dependent Mechanism In Triple Negative-Breast Cancer Cells, Ana L. Rivera, A. C. Martínez-Torres, C. Rodríguez-Padilla

Research Symposium

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Cyclophosphamide (CYP) remains a mainstay in cancer therapy mainly in the triple negative breast cancer subtype (TNBC) in spite of harmful adverse effects and cell death-resistances. To face this, combination of chemotherapies and immunotherapies has been proposed. IMMUNEPOTENT CRP (ICRP) is an immunotherapy that has cytotoxic effects in several cancer cells without affecting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and CD3+ cells, beside improving clinical parameters of chemotherapy-treated patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of cytotoxicity induced by ICRP in combination with …

Hpv Imprints In Western India: The Overlooked Criteria For Cancer Profiling, Ashi R. Thobias, Jayendra B. Patel, Prabhudas P. Patel

Research Symposium

Background: In India, HPV infection detection for cancer-typing has been largely evaded. Especially, data on prevalence of HPV types other than the highly prevalent HPV 16 and 18 are lacking, particularly from the western region. Thus, present study aimed to evaluate prevalence of HPV strains in three most prevailing cancers in India i.e. cervical, oral and oropharyngeal cancer.

Materials & methods: DNA was isolated from tissue samples of 400 cervical cancer cases, 127 oral cancer cases and 75 oropharyngeal cancer cases and endpoint PCR was performed using degenerative primers MY 09/11, GP 5+/6+ and CP I/II. TS-PCR was conducted to …

Engineered Exosomes For The Multimodal Imaging Directed Photo-Immunotherapy Of Colorectal Cancer, Deepak S. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Symposium

Background: Rio Grande Valley experience severe cancer health disparity. A novel therapeutic modality may serve as better therapeutic option. Nanohybrids endowed with multifunctionality, longer circulation time, large surface area have emerged as an active preference for cancer research. However, rising concern of nanomaterials toxicity and scalability issues has slowed their translation to clinics. Exosomes (Exo) are endogenous endocytic origin 40-100 nm vesicles found in various body fluids, which in comparison to synthetic nanoparticles, are biodegradable, highly biocompatible as well as immunocompatible in nature. Although bulk isolation of exosomes from human body fluids is still a problem and engineering of exosomes …

Cyclophosphamide And Epirubicin Induce Apoptotic Cell Death In Microglia Cells, Rafael De La Hoz-Camacho

Research Symposium

Background. Chemotherapy Related Cognitive Impairment’s (CRCI), diminish patient’s quality life, being breast cancer (BC) patients the most affected. Microglia is described to play a major role in CRCI; hence, the aim of this research was to describe the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide (CTX) and Epirubicin (EPI), on microglia (SIM-A9), compared to BC cells (4T1).

Methods. We assessed cell viability (Resazurin) and cell death (AnnV), as well as nuclear damage with γ-H2AX, p53, p16 and cell cycle analysis (PI staining) by flow cytometry (FC). Furthermore, we evaluated ΔΨm (DIOC6), ROS (DCFDA) and NO (DAF-FM) production. Finally, caspase activation (TF2-VAD-FMK) and autophagy (CYTO-ID). …

Antibody Mediated Targeted Drug Delivery System To Improve Immunotherapy In Pancreatic Cancer, Poornima Devi Shaji, Meena Jaggi, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

About 95% of tumor arises from epithelial cell lining ducts known to be pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, with less than 5-7% survival rate. Unfortunately, little progress has been seen in the outcomes of patients with PDAC as tumor develops high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, such as gemcitabine (Gem). Immunotherapy has shown promising results in cancers, except pancreatic cancer due to their characteristic fibrotic tumor microenvironment. The therapies are unable to penetrate to the fibrotic tumors leading to insufficient availability of the therapeutic drugs at the tumor site. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but …

Microrna-145 Replacement As A Therapeutic Tool To Improve Trail Therapy, Saini Setua, Nirnoy Dan, Melida Flores Cantu, Ana Martinez Bulnes, Murali M. Yallapu, Stephen W. Behrman, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan

Research Symposium

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a third leading cause of cancer related deaths in US. Unlike other cancers, PanCa is highly resistant to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) that emerges as one of the most-promising therapy in clinical trials. Our group has previously identified microRNA-145 (miR-145) is downregulated in PanCa, the restoration of which inhibits tumor growth and enhances gemcitabine sensitivity. In this study, we have observed that miR-145 restoration in PanCa cells renders them sensitive to TRAIL treatment. Therefore, we have engineered unique superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPs) for co-delivering miR-145 and TRAIL in PanCa for improving their therapeutic response to TRAIL. The …

Identification Of Tectorigenin As A Natural Pro-Hypoxia Compound: Implications In Modulation Of Cellular Differentiation And Senescence, Mallika Khurana, Renu Wadhwa, Sunil Kaul

Research Symposium

Background: Hypoxia, a suboptimal level of oxygen, evokes stress response in cells and activated hypoxia signaling has been largely established as a pro-metastasis and pro-angiogenic factor for tumor cells. On the other hand, age-related neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by hypoxic environment, accumulation of molecular garbage and induction of premature senescence. Several recent studies have reported anti-stress impact of the intermittent induction of hypoxia signaling in these cells.

Methods: Screening of a phytochemical library using Hypoxia Responsive Element (HRE) driven luciferase as a reporter was carried out to identify hypoxia-modulating phytochemicals. Activation of HIF-1a (master regulator of hypoxia signaling) was validated …

Pro-Apoptosis Activity Of Pogostemon Cablin Benth. Against Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Through The Bcl-2 Inhibition Signaling Pathway: A Computational Investigation, Aigia Syahraini, Essy Harnelly, Feri Eko Hermanto

Makara Journal of Science

Resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy frequently emerges in the later stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumorigenesis. The decreased response of NPC to radiotherapy and chemotherapy occurs owing to the inhibition of cancer cell apoptosis by the B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) protein. Thus, inhibiting BCL-2 protein may become a powerful approach to eliminate NPC through apoptosis regulation. Meanwhile, Pogostemon cablin is reported to exhibit anticancer properties, but there are limited studies on its use for NPC treatment. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential bioactive compounds in P. cablin as anti-apoptosis BCL-2 protein inhibitors using in-silico approach. Natural compounds …

The Use Of Prognostic Markers To Predict Disease Progression And Clinical Outcome In Monoclonal Gammopathy Of Undetermined Significance, Smouldering Multiple Myeloma And Multiple Myeloma., Róisín C. Mcmonagle

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy with a complex and incompletely understood molecular pathogenesis. Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) and Smouldering Multiple Myeloma (SMM) precede MM, with variable risks and rates of disease progression. The continuing high relapse and death rate in MM cases has prompted research into more accurate prognostic markers to predict progression from MGUS and SMM to MM, as well as identify MM cases with aggressive disease, in order to begin early, targeted and effective therapeutic intervention. Many studies have focused on utilising current markers more effectively, including M-protein, serum-free light chain ratio, …

Targeting Breast Cancer: The Familiar, The Emerging, And The Uncharted Territories, Hamidreza Montazeri Aliabadi, Arthur Manda, Riya Sidgal, Co Chung

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Breast cancer became the most diagnosed cancer in the world in 2020. Chemotherapy is still the leading clinical strategy in breast cancer treatment, followed by hormone therapy (mostly used in hormone receptor-positive types). However, with our ever-expanding knowledge of signaling pathways in cancer biology, new molecular targets are identified for potential novel molecularly targeted drugs in breast cancer treatment. While this has resulted in the approval of a few molecularly targeted drugs by the FDA (including drugs targeting immune checkpoints), a wide array of signaling pathways seem to be still underexplored. Also, while combinatorial treatments have become common practice in …

A Quantitative Visualization Tool For The Assessment Of Mammographic Risky Dense Tissue Types, Margaret R. Mccarthy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second most occurring cancer type and is ranked fifth in terms of mortality. X-ray mammography is the most common methodology of breast imaging and can show radiographic signs of cancer, such as masses and calcifcations. From these mammograms, radiologists can also assess breast density, which is a known cancer risk factor. However, since not all dense tissue is cancer-prone, we hypothesize that dense tissue can be segregated into healthy vs. risky subtypes. We propose that risky dense tissue is associated with tissue microenvironment disorganization, which can be quantified via a computational characterization of the whole breast …