Medical Specialties Commons^™

Tumor-Infiltrating Bacteria Disrupt Cancer Epithelial Cell Interactions And Induce Cell-Cycle Arrest, Jorge Luis Galeano Niño, Falk Ponath, Victor A Ajisafe, Clara R Becker, Andrew G Kempchinsky, Martha A Zepeda-Rivera, Javier A Gomez, Hanrui Wu, Jessica G Terrazas, Heather Bouzek, Elizabeth Cromwell, Pritha Chanana, Matthew Wong, Ashish Damania, Michael G White, Y Nancy You, Scott Kopetz, Nadim J Ajami, Jennifer A Wargo, Christopher D Johnston, Susan Bullman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor-infiltrating bacteria are increasingly recognized as modulators of cancer progression and therapy resistance. We describe a mechanism by which extracellular intratumoral bacteria, including Fusobacterium, modulate cancer epithelial cell behavior. Spatial imaging and single-cell spatial transcriptomics show that these bacteria predominantly localize extracellularly within tumor microniches of colorectal and oral cancers, characterized by reduced cell density, transcriptional activity, and proliferation. In vitro, Fusobacterium nucleatum disrupts epithelial contacts, inducing G0-G1 arrest and transcriptional quiescence. This state confers 5-fluorouracil resistance and remodels the tumor microenvironment. Findings were validated by live-cell imaging, spatial profiling, mouse models, and a 52-patient colorectal cancer cohort. Transcriptomics reveals …

Spatial Omics At The Forefront: Emerging Technologies, Analytical Innovations, And Clinical Applications, Yunhe Liu, Yibo Dai, Linghua Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spatial omics transforms our understanding of cancer by revealing how tumor cells and the microenvironment are organized, interact, and evolve within tissues. Here, we synthesize advances in spatial technologies that map tumor ecosystems with unprecedented fidelity. We highlighted analytical breakthroughs-including multimodal integration and emerging spatial foundation models-that resolve functional niches and spatial communities, converting spatial patterns into mechanistic insights. We summarize how spatially organized features, from immune hubs to microbiota and neural interfaces, shape tumor evolution and clinical outcomes. We then outline how spatial approaches illuminate precancer biology, metastatic adaptation, and therapy response. Bridging discovery and translation, we provide a …

Tet2-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis Enhances Macrophage Antigen Presentation And Improves Immune Checkpoint Therapy In Solid Tumors, Shelley Herbrich, Mehdi Chaib, Swetha Anandhan, Samuel W Andrewes, Ashwat Nagarajan, Baoxiang Guan, Nishant Gandhi, Jared Gilliam, Milan Radovich, Padmanee Sharma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is detectable in upwards of 20% of patients with solid tumors and is associated with worsened prognosis; however, its role in tumor immunology and immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) is unknown. Using a bone marrow chimera model of Tet2+/mut CH in mice with solid tumors, we found the Tet2-mutant myeloid cells are abundant in the tumor microenvironment and contributed to an improved response to ICT. Mechanistically, Tet2+/mut macrophages inside the tumor act as immunogenic antigen-presenting cells that more effectively cross-prime naive CD8+ T cells in response to IFNγ. In human cohorts of 35,971 non-small cell lung cancer patients …

Proton Versus Photon Radiotherapy For Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer In The Usa: A Multicentre, Randomised, Open-Label, Non-Inferiority Phase 3 Trial, Steven J Frank, Paul M Busse, J Jack Lee, David I Rosenthal, Mike Hernandez, David M Swanson, Adam S Garden, G Brandon Gunn, Samir H Patel, James W Snider, Daniel J Ma, Jason K Molitoris, Nancy Y Lee, Upendra Parvathaneni, Mark W Mcdonald, Noah S Kalman, Alexander Lin, Nasiruddin Mohammed, Christina Henson, Christian Hyde, Gopal K Bajaj, Sanford R Katz, Roi Dagan, William H Morrison, Jay P Reddy, C David Fuller, Shalin J Shah, Jack Phan, Gregory M Chronowski, Lauren Mayo, Erich M Sturgis, Renata Ferrarotto, Xiaorong R Zhu, Xiaodong Zhang, Li Wang, Katherine A Hutcheson, Adel K El-Naggar, Amy C Moreno, Anna Lee, Michael T Spiotto, Neil D Gross, Stephen Y Lai, Jay J Liao, Jonathan Paly, Zhongxing Liao, Robert L Foote

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Radiotherapy is an integral component of treatment for oropharyngeal cancer. Toxicity from the current state-of-the-art photon radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), has prompted the search for alternative, less toxic therapies. One such alternative that might de-intensify treatment is proton therapy. In this trial, we aimed to directly compare IMRT with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT), both concurrent with systemic therapy, hypothesising comparable disease control and survival and lower toxicity.

Methods: This randomised, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial was conducted in 21 sites (cancer centres or universities) in the USA. Patients (aged ≥18 years) with stage III or stage IV …

Flipi24: A Modern Prognostic Model And Clinical Trial Enrichment Tool For Newly Diagnosed Follicular Lymphoma, Matthew J Maurer, Vit K Prochazka, Tarec Christoffer El-Galaly, Christopher R Flowers, Diego Villa, Emmanuel Bachy, Elliot J Cahn, Marguerite Fournier, Melissa C Larson, Caroline E Dietrich, Lasse Hjort Jakobsen, Hervé Ghesquières, Robert Kridel, Maher K Gandhi, Chan Y Cheah, Eliza A Hawkes, John F Seymour, Ciara L Freeman, Michael R Clausen, Björn E Wahlin, Jonathan W Friedberg, Carla Casulo, Thomas M Habermann, Yucai Wang, Loretta J Nastoupil, Peter De Nully Brown, David Belada, Andrea Janíková, Heidi Mocikova, Tomáš Fürst, Pierre Feugier, Hervé Tilly, Corinne Haioun, Andrew J Davies, Guillaume Cartron, Richard Burack, Dai Chihara, Peter Martin, Jonathon B Cohen, Izidore S Lossos, Brad S Kahl, Laurie H Sehn, Karin E Smedby, Gilles Salles, Marek Trneny, Brian K Link, Franck Morschhauser, James R Cerhan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Although most patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) can expect an indolent course, progressive lymphoma remains the primary cause of death during the first decade after diagnosis. Progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) of starting first-line (1L) immunochemotherapy defines a high-risk population with poor survival, but better risk stratification at diagnosis is needed.

Methods: The FLIPI24 model was developed and internally validated to predict 24-month event rates using individual data from 4,485 patients treated with 1L immunochemotherapy from 10 observational cohorts of FL. Overall and cause-specific survival was further evaluated in FLIPI24 risk groups. External validation in the 1L …

Clinical And Dosimetric Dataset Of Time-To-Event Normal Tissue Complication Probability For Osteoradionecrosis, Natalie A West, Serageldin Kamel, Andrew Wentzel, Zaphanlene Kaffey, Moamen Abdelaal, G Elisabeta Marai, Guadalupe Canahuate, Xinhua Zhang, Melissa M Chen, Kareem A Wahid, Jillian Rigert, Kristy K Brock, Mark Chambers, Adegbenga O Otun, Ruth Aponte-Wesson, Renjie He, Mohamed A Naser, Katherine A Hutcheson, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Lisanne V Van Dijk, Amy C Moreno, Stephen Y Lai, Clifton D Fuller, Laia Humbert-Vidan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORNJ) is a radiation-induced late toxicity that can dramatically decrease patients' quality of life. Recent increases in survival rates of head and neck cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have resulted in a higher frequency of radiation-induced toxicities, particularly ORNJ. Recent work with Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) models and a Weibull Accelerated Failure Time (WAFT) model have further developed our understanding of ORNJ clinical/dosimetric risk factors and longitudinal features, respectively. In this data descriptor, 1129 head and neck cancer (HNC) patients received curative intent radiotherapy (RT) at MD Anderson Cancer Center and were followed …

An Integrated Single-Cell And Spatial Transcriptomic Atlas Of Thyroid Cancer Progression Identifies Prognostic Fibroblast Subpopulations, Matthew A Loberg, George J Xu, Sheau-Chiann Chen, Hua-Chang Chen, Claudia C Wahoski, Kailey P Caroland, Megan L Tigue, Heather A Hartmann, Jean-Nicolas Gallant, Courtney J Phifer, Andres A Ocampo, Dayle K Wang, Reilly G Fankhauser, Kirti A Karunakaran, Chia-Chin Wu, Maxime Tarabichi, Sophia M Shaddy, James L Netterville, Sarah L Rohde, Carmen C Solórzano, Lindsay A Bischoff, Naira Baregamian, Barbara A Murphy, Jennifer H Choe, Jennifer R Wang, Eric C Huang, Quanhu Sheng, Luciane T Kagohara, Elizabeth M Jaffee, Ryan H Belcher, Ken S Lau, Fei Ye, Ethan Lee, Vivian L Weiss

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC) is characterized by a robust treatment response, aggressive subtypes, such as anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), remain highly lethal. To understand thyroid cancer evolution in both children and adults, we analyzed single-cell transcriptomes of 423,733 cells from 81 samples and spatially resolved key tumor and microenvironment populations across 28 tumors with spatial transcriptomics, including rare and unique composite WDTC/ATC tumors and pediatric diffuse sclerosing thyroid carcinomas. Additionally, we identified gene signatures of stromal cell populations in 5 large thyroid cancer bulk RNA-sequencing cohorts. Through this multi-institutional effort, we defined a population of POSTN+ myofibroblast cancer-associated fibroblasts …

Optimal Timing Of Cranioplasty Post-Decompressive Craniectomy In Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, And Overview Of Ongoing Trials, Ashviniy Thamilmaran, Shaan Patel, Shiva A. Nischal, Honey Panchal, Kush Kale, Pious D. Patel, Jack Jallo, James S. Harrop

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The optimal timing of cranioplasty (CP) following decompressive craniectomy (DC) for the management of traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains debated. Prior studies comparing early CP (EC) and late CP (LC) report conflicting outcomes, compounded by inconsistent timing thresholds and limited attention to effect modifiers such as implant material.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing outcomes of EC (≤ 90 days) versus LC (> 90 days) after DC for TBI, with particular evaluation of ultra-EC (<  35 days) and implant material.

METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL were electronically searched from inception to April 2025, supplemented by manual screening of references and grey …

Loss Of Kdm6a-Mediated Genomic Instability And Metabolic Reprogramming Regulates Response To Therapeutic Perturbations In Bladder Cancer, Pratishtha Singh, Ranit D'Rozario, Bidisha Chakraborty, Swadhin Meher, Deblina Raychaudhuri, Aminah J Tannir, Yang Li, Anurag Majumdar, Jessalyn Hawkins, Yun Xiong, Philip Lorenzi, Padmanee Sharma, Kadir Akdemir, Patrick Pilie, Abhinav K Jain, Byron Hing Lung Lee, Sangeeta Goswami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Mutations in epigenetic regulators are common in bladder cancer, yet their impact on therapeutic responses remains unclear. Here, we identify that loss-of-function mutations in KDM6A, a histone demethylase altered in about 26% of advanced bladder cancers, are associated with poor survival after cisplatin chemotherapy, whereas they correlate with improved outcomes with anti-PD-1 therapy. Using CRISPR-Cas9-engineered murine and human bladder cancer models, we show that KDM6A deficiency increases formation of extrachromosomal circular DNA carrying chemoresistance loci, promoting cisplatin resistance. In parallel, KDM6A loss impairs DNA repair and rewires tumor metabolism, reducing glycolysis and lactate output. This metabolic shift diminishes histone lactylation …

3d Reconstruction Of Spatial Transcriptomics With Spatial Pattern Enhanced Graph Convolutional Neural Network, Chen Tang, Yuansheng Zhou, Xue Xiao, Lei Dong, Lei Yu, Qiwei Li, Guanghua Xiao, Lin Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) is a promising new technology that enables simultaneous analysis of gene expression and spatial information for biomedical research. However, the existing statistical and deep learning algorithms used for analyzing SRT data rely solely on two-dimensional (2D) spatial coordinates, which limits their ability to accurately identify spatial domains, spatially variable genes (SVGs), cell-to-cell communications, and developmental trajectories in a three-dimensional (3D) spatial manner. To address these limitations, we introduced Spa3D, which utilized the anti-leakage Fourier transform and graph convolutional neural network model to reconstruct 3D-based spatial structures from multiple 2D SRT slices. We demonstrate that Spa3D is …

N-Palmitoyl Glutamine Is A Candidate Mediator Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Jeremy M Robbins, Mark Benson, Anthony R P Verkerke, Gaurav Tiwari, Shuliang Deng, Prashant Rao, Usman A Tahir, Julian Avila-Pacheco, Xu Shi, Yuntian Guan, Foje-Geh Tendoh, Jacob L Barber, Patricia E Miller, Andrew S Perry, Michael E Hall, Alexis C Wood, Kent D Taylor, Wendy S Post, Stephen S Rich, Matthew Nayor, James G Wilson, Gregory D Lewis, Ravi V Shah, Jerome I Rotter, Scott A Summers, Laura M Raffield, Shingo Kajimura, Claude Bouchard, Clary B Clish, Mark A Sarzynski, Robert E Gerszten

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Background: Cardiorespiratory fitness is an integrative measure of cardiometabolic health and predictor of survival, yet little is known about its molecular underpinnings. Small molecule metabolites and lipids are increasingly recognized as exercise-stimulated signaling molecules and candidate molecular transducers of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods: We performed nontargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based plasma metabolomics in 654 participants (mean age, 35 years; 55% women) from the HERITAGE Family Study (Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics) who had cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal oxygen uptake [VO2max]) measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing and underwent 20 weeks of supervised endurance training. Metabolite-VO2max relationships were assessed using linear regression …

A Phase 1, First-In-Human, Dose Escalation Study Of Jnj-80038114, A Psmaxcd3 Bispecific Antibody, In Participants With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Andrew Hudson, Anuradha Jayaram, Benjamin Garmezy, Nicholas Zorko, Kevin Zarrabi, Ligi Mathews, Brent Rupnow, Mengjie Li, Debopriya Ghosh, Karen Urtishak, Peter Francis, Sherry Wang, Edward Attiyeh, Johann De Bono

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been identified as a therapeutic target for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The recent success of radioligands targeting PSMA spurred development of new PSMA-targeting agents including immunotherapy. JNJ-80038114 is a bispecific antibody that binds PSMA on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells to induce anti-tumor activity.

METHODS: This was a phase 1, open-label, multicenter study of JNJ-80038114 in participants with mCRPC and ≥ 1 prior systemic therapy. JNJ-80038114 was administered subcutaneously every 3 weeks (Q3W), starting at 0.1 mg. The primary endpoint was safety. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and prostate-specific antigen …

Music Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Via Telehealth For Anxiety In Survivors Of Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Kevin T. Liou, Joke Bradt, M. Beatriz Currier, Raymond Baser, Katherine Panageas, Jodi Macleod, Desiree Walker, Susan Q. Li, Ana Maria Lopez, Kelly Mcconnell, Jun J. Mao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: Anxiety is prevalent, disruptive, and undertreated among survivors of cancer. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line treatment, but not all individuals have access, respond to treatment, or prefer this option because of stigma. Music therapy is effective for short-term anxiety reduction, but it is unknown whether it is noninferior to first-line CBT for long-term anxiety reduction.

METHODS: This comparative effectiveness trial randomly assigned English- or Spanish-speaking survivors of cancer to seven weekly telehealth sessions of music therapy or CBT. The coprimary end points were changes in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) anxiety score at weeks 8 …

Inhibition Of Gpx4 Induces The Death Of P53-Mutant Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, William M Tahaney, Amanda Lanier, Jing Qian, Cassandra L Moyer, Nghi Nguyen, Yanxia Ma, Jamal Hill, Reid T Powell, Clifford C Stephan, Peter J A Davies, Abhijit Mazumdar, Powel H Brown

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by high rates of tumor protein 53 (TP53) mutation and with limited targeted therapies. Despite being clinically advantageous, direct targeting of mutant TP53 has been challenging. Therefore, we hypothesized that p53-mutant TNBC cells rely upon other potentially targetable survival pathways.

Methods: In vitro and in silico screens were used to identify drugs that induced preferential death in TP53-mutant cells. The effect of the ferroptosis inducer ML-162 was tested both in vitro and in vivo and the mechanism of cell death following ML-162 treatment or GPX4 knockout was …

Modality-Agnostic, Patient-Specific Digital Twins Modeling Temporally Varying Digestive Motion, Jorge Tapias Gomez, Nishant Nadkarni, Lando S Bosma, Jue Jiang, Ergys D Subashi, William P Segars, James M Balter, Mert R Sabuncu, Neelam Tyagi, Harini Veeraraghavan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Predicting Sepsis In Heart Failure Patients Supported By Left Ventricular Assist Devices: The Role Of Ve-Cadherin And Adam10, Shiyi Li, Iván Murrieta-Álvarez, Ismael Garcia, Katherine V Nordick, Rishav Bhattacharya, Shreyo Ghosh, Ronald A Shaju, Adel M Hassan, Carl P Walther, Camila Hochman-Mendez, Alexis E Shafii, Kenneth K Liao, Nandan K Mondal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cadherin) is a major endothelial adhesion molecule and can be cleaved explicitly by metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10). Vascular hyperpermeability may contribute to a greater susceptibility to sepsis in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support patients. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of VE-Cadherin and ADAM10 for predicting sepsis in LVAD patients. We prospectively recruited 50 patients with advanced heart failure receiving LVAD therapy. Baseline and weekly postoperative blood samples (weeks 1-4) were collected, and plasma VE-cadherin and ADAM10 levels were measured. Sepsis occurred in 9 of 50 patients (18.0%). Across all sampling points, plasma VE-cadherin and …

Pathogenesis Of Polyglutamine Diseases: Piecing Together A Complex Molecular Puzzle, Esmeralda Villavicencio Gonzalez, Huda Y Zoghbi

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, caused by a CAG repeat expansion encoding a glutamine tract in nine distinct proteins, present a complex molecular puzzle in which each piece contributes to neurodegeneration. While each of the causative proteins has a distinct function, the downstream consequences of polyQ toxicity are often similar, including protein accumulation, transcriptional dysregulation, somatic CAG repeat instability, disrupted energy homeostasis, compromised synaptic function, and selective neuronal death. This review summarizes emerging insights into how proteins with an expanded polyQ tract disrupt distinct cellular functions, and we examine a multitude of discoveries that are inspiring and reshaping novel therapeutic strategies.

Vacmap: An Accurate Long-Read Aligner For Unraveling Complex Genomic Rearrangements, Hongyu Ding, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Christos Proukakis, Caoimhe Morley, Marco Toffoli, Anthony Hv Schapira, Zhirui Liao, Lianrong Pu, Shanfeng Zhu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sequence alignment is essential for genomic research and clinical diagnostics, yet detecting complex rearrangements such as inversions, duplications, and gene conversions remains challenging due to allele complexity and limitations of current methods. We introduce VACmap, a non-linear mapping approach to enhance the detection and representation of all genetic variations. VACmap improves duplication detection from 20% to 90% in the Challenging Medically-Relevant Genes (CMRG) benchmark and improves characterization of complex inversions in repetitive regions and gene conversion events. It improves resolving clinically significant loci, including the LPA gene (with repetitive KIV-2 units linked to coronary heart disease), GBA1 and STRC genes …

Clinical Performance Of A Novel Point-Of-Care High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I Assay, Alan H. B. Wu, Simon A. Mahler, Stacey L. House, Saeed A. Jortani, Michael H. Creer, Kristin L. Rising, Jason J. Bischof, Chad Crystal, Gary F. Headden, Fred S. Apple, Nicholas E. Harrison, Andrew C. Meltzer, Justin T. Baca, Brian Tiffany, Mark Sochor, Grace U. Pentecostes, Katrina P. Di Tullio, Manish S. Gupta, Adam J. Singer, James L. Januzzi

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays performed in the central laboratory have long turnaround times. This study evaluates the clinical performance of a novel bedside point-of-care (POC) hs-cTnI assay (i-STAT® hs-TnI) to aid in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODS: A prospective multisite cohort study involving emergency department (ED) patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome was conducted at 28 sites across the United States. Serial whole blood samples were collected at 0-1 h and >1-3 h from ED presentation. Primary outcome was MI or non-MI. Sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value (NPV) for MI were calculated with …

Conclusions Are Not Supported By The Published Statistical Analysis Comment On López-Toledo Et Al Flaxseed Improves Glucose And Lipid Metabolism In Mexican Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes: A Parallel Randomized Clinical Trial, Robert W Spitz, Deependra K Thapa, Thirupathi Reddy Mokalla, Wasiuddin Najam, Andrew W Brown, David B Allison

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

López-Toledo et al [...].

Performance Of A Rapid, Highly Multiplexed Nucleic Acid Detection Assay For Identification Of Viral And Bacterial Pathogens From Upper Respiratory Tract Specimens, Coreen L Johnson, James J Dunn

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Accurate and timely identification of upper respiratory tract pathogens can improve patient management by decreasing unnecessary additional testing, reducing the cost of care, and informing antimicrobial stewardship. We evaluated the FDA-cleared Diasorin LIAISON PLEX® Respiratory Flex (RSP Flex), a highly multiplexed, rapid nucleic acid detection assay that can identify 14 viral and 5 bacterial respiratory pathogens.

Methods: In total, 215 residual patient upper respiratory tract specimens were tested using the RSP Flex assay and results compared to standard-of-care (SOC) molecular testing.

Results: Positive percentage agreement (PPA) was 100% for the following targets: adenovirus, human coronavirus, Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, …

A Prognostic Matrix Gene Expression Signature Defines Functional Glioblastoma Phenotypes And Niches, Monika Vishnoi, Zeynep Dereli, Zheng Yin, Elisabeth K Kong, Meric Kinali, Kisan Thapa, Ozgun Babur, Kyuson Yun, Nourhan Abdelfattah, Xubin Li, Behnaz Bozorgui, Mary C Farach-Carson, Robert C Rostomily, Anil Korkut

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Interactions among tumor, immune, and vascular niches play major roles in glioblastoma (GBM) malignancy and treatment responses. The composition and heterogeneity of extracellular core matrix proteins (CMPs) that mediate such interactions are not well understood. Here, we present an analysis of the clinical relevance of CMP expression in GBM at bulk, single-cell, and spatial anatomical resolution. We show that CMP enrichment is associated with worse patient survival, specific driver oncogenic alterations, mesenchymal state, pro-tumor immune infiltration, and immune checkpoint expression. Matrisome expression is enriched in vascular and leading edge/infiltrative niches that are known to harbor glioma stem cells. Finally, we …

Micrornas In Prostate Cancer Liquid Biopsies: Early Detection, Prognosis, And Treatment Monitoring, Seyyed Mohammad Yaghoubi, Erfan Zare, Sina Jafari Dargahlou, Maryam Jafari, Mahdiye Azimi, Maedeh Khoshnazar, Solmaz Shirjang, Behzad Mansoori

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignancy in men worldwide, with incidence projected to rise in the coming years. Traditional screening and diagnostic methods, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and biopsy, face limitations in specificity and invasiveness. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as stable, non-invasive biomarkers obtainable via liquid biopsies (blood, urine, semen) that could transform PCa management. These small regulatory RNAs reflect underlying tumor biology and are detectable at early disease stages, enabling improved early detection when used alongside or in place of PSA. Distinct miRNA expression patterns correlate with tumor aggressiveness. For example, miR-141 and miR-375 are …

Anti-Csf-1r Therapy With Combined Immuno-Chemotherapy Coordinate An Adaptive Immune Response To Eliminate Macrophage Enriched Triple Negative Breast Cancers, Diego A Pedroza, Xueying Yuan, Fengshuo Liu, Hilda L Chan, Christina Zhang, William Bowie, Alex J Smith, Sebastian J Calderon, Nadia Lieu, Weiguo Wu, Paul Porter, Poonam Sarkar, Na Zhao, Constanze V Oehler, Ondrej Peller, M Waleed Gaber, Qian Zhu, Charles M Perou, Xiang H-F Zhang, Jeffrey M Rosen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Women diagnosed with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) have limited treatment options, are more prone to develop resistance and are associated with high mortality. A cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) characterized by low T cells and high tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) in mTNBC is associated with the failure of standard-of-care chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment. We demonstrate that the combination of immunomodulatory low-dose Cyclophosphamide (CTX) coupled with anti-CSF-1R antibody targeted therapy (SNDX-ms6352) and anti-PD-1 (ICB), was highly effective against aggressive metastatic Trp53 null TNBC transplantable syngeneic models that present with high macrophage infiltration. Mechanistically, CSF-1R inhibition along …

Deep-Learning Serial Ct Prediction Of Survival In Immunotherapy-Treated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer., Chiharu Sako, Brenda F Kurland, Taly G Schmidt, Jing He, Marius De Groot, Arpan A Patel, Dwight H Owen, Arya Amini, Brendan D Curti, Ronan J Kelly, Ray D Page, Aurelie Swalduz, Jean-Paul Beregi, Jan Chrusciel, Stephane Sanchez, Jakob Weiss, An Liu, Olivier Gevaert, Alma Hart, George R Simon, Ravi B Parikh, Jasper Van Der Aart, Petr Jordan

Oncology Articles

IMPORTANCE: Reliable early response biomarkers for overall survival (OS) are lacking for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Existing imaging-based measures, such as Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and tumor volume change (TVC), have limited predictive value for long-term outcomes, and advanced imaging-based biomarkers may enhance decision-making in clinical practice and clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a fully automated deep-learning imaging-based biomarker using pretherapy and 12-week follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This prognostic study used retrospectively collected HER data from routine clinical practice (RCP) …

Career Plans Among Graduating Us Emergency Medicine Residents, Dave W. Lu, Bo Gu, D. Mark Courtney, Bryan G. Kane, Michelle D. Lall, Michael Gottlieb, Yvette Calderon, Christopher Bennett

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: The emergency medicine (EM) workforce is undergoing complex change, including a potential projected physician surplus, the volatile and evolving interests of medical students, and the continued high rates of burnout. Understanding the career intentions of graduating residents is critical to inform workforce planning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the career plans, anticipated career durations, and key factors associated with the career decisions of graduating US EM residents.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional survey study, which sampled graduating residents from all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited categorical EM programs, was conducted after the 2023 American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training …

Career Plans Among Graduating Us Emergency Medicine Residents, Dave W. Lu, Bo Gu, D. Mark Courtney, Bryan G. Kane, Michelle D. Lall, Michael Gottlieb, Yvette Calderon, Christopher Bennett

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: The emergency medicine (EM) workforce is undergoing complex change, including a potential projected physician surplus, the volatile and evolving interests of medical students, and the continued high rates of burnout. Understanding the career intentions of graduating residents is critical to inform workforce planning.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the career plans, anticipated career durations, and key factors associated with the career decisions of graduating US EM residents.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional survey study, which sampled graduating residents from all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited categorical EM programs, was conducted after the 2023 American Board of Emergency Medicine In-Training …

Cholesterol Efflux Protein, Abca1, Supports Anticancer Functions Of Myeloid Immune Cells, Shruti V Bendre, Yu Wang, Basel Hajyousif, Rajendra K C, Shounak G Bhogale, Dhanya Pradeep, Natalia Krawczynska, Claire P Schane, Erin Weisser, Avni Singh, Simon Han, Hannah Kim, Lara Kockaya, Anasuya Das Gupta, Adam T Nelczyk, Hashni Epa Vidana Gamage, Yifan Fei, Desirée Rodríguez-Casiano, Xingyu Guo, Haoyun Li, Ryan J Deaton, Fei Mo, Maria Sverdlov, Peter H Gann, Saurabh Sinha, Sahil Sahni, Kun Wang, Kevin Van Bortle, Emad Tajkorshid, Wendy A Woodward, Wonhwa Cho, Erik R Nelson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Breast and other solid tumors respond poorly to immune therapy. Myeloid cells (MCs) such as macrophages contribute to resistance. Established clinical evidence links cholesterol to cancer outcomes, with MC function being regulated by cholesterol metabolism. We screened MC-expressed regulators of cholesterol homeostasis linked to survival and identified the cholesterol efflux protein ABCA1. ABCA1 activity increases anticancer functions of macrophages: enhancing tumor infiltration, decreasing angiogenic potential, reducing efferocytosis, and improving support of CD8+ T cell activity. Mechanistically, different AKT isoforms are involved, through both PI3K-dependent and PI3K-independent mechanisms. Highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings are correlations between ABCA1 in macrophages …

Nf2 Loss Malignantly Transforms Human Pancreatic Acinar Cells And Enhances Cell Fitness Under Environmental Stress, Yi Xu, Michael H Nipper, Angel A Dominguez, Chenhui He, Francis E Sharkey, Sajid Khan, Han Xu, Daohong Zhou, Lei Zheng, Yu Luan, Jun Liu, Pei Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) occurs as a complex, multifaceted event driven by the interplay of tumor-permissive genetic mutations, the nature of the cellular origin, and microenvironmental stress. In this study, using primary human pancreatic acinar 3D organoids, we performed a CRISPR-KO screen targeting 199 potential tumor suppressors curated from clinical PDAC samples. Our data revealed significant enrichment of a list of candidate genes, with neurofibromatosis type 2 associated gene (NF2) emerging as the top target. Functional validation confirmed that loss of NF2 promoted the transition of PDAC to an invasive state, potentially through extracellular matrix modulation. NF2 inactivation …

Racial, Ethnic, And Socioeconomic Survival Disparities In Early-Onset Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, Jennifer S Wang, Benny Johnson, Caitlin C Murphy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Rates of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are rising among young adults. Disparities by race and ethnicity and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) among this population are understudied.

Objective: To examine the association of race and ethnicity and neighborhood-level SES with mortality among a community-based sample of young adults with mCRC.

Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used a large electronic health record-derived database of young adults with cancer treated at 280 community-based US clinics between 2013 and 2021. Eligible patients were young adults aged 18 to 49 years diagnosed with de novo or recurrent mCRC. Patients were followed up …