115 research outputs found
Clinical application of high throughput molecular screening techniques for pharmacogenomics.
Genetic analysis is one of the fastest-growing areas of clinical diagnostics. Fortunately, as our knowledge of clinically relevant genetic variants rapidly expands, so does our ability to detect these variants in patient samples. Increasing demand for genetic information may necessitate the use of high throughput diagnostic methods as part of clinically validated testing. Here we provide a general overview of our current and near-future abilities to perform large-scale genetic testing in the clinical laboratory. First we review in detail molecular methods used for high throughput mutation detection, including techniques able to monitor thousands of genetic variants for a single patient or to genotype a single genetic variant for thousands of patients simultaneously. These methods are analyzed in the context of pharmacogenomic testing in the clinical laboratories, with a focus on tests that are currently validated as well as those that hold strong promise for widespread clinical application in the near future. We further discuss the unique economic and clinical challenges posed by pharmacogenomic markers. Our ability to detect genetic variants frequently outstrips our ability to accurately interpret them in a clinical context, carrying implications both for test development and introduction into patient management algorithms. These complexities must be taken into account prior to the introduction of any pharmacogenomic biomarker into routine clinical testing
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Repurposing tofacitinib as an anti-myeloma therapeutic to reverse growth-promoting effects of the bone marrow microenvironment.
The myeloma bone marrow microenvironment promotes proliferation of malignant plasma cells and resistance to therapy. Activation of JAK/STAT signaling is thought to be a central component of these microenvironment-induced phenotypes. In a prior drug repurposing screen, we identified tofacitinib, a pan-JAK inhibitor Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for rheumatoid arthritis, as an agent that may reverse the tumor-stimulating effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells. Herein, we validated in vitro, in stromal-responsive human myeloma cell lines, and in vivo, in orthotopic disseminated xenograft models of myeloma, that tofacitinib showed efficacy in myeloma models. Furthermore, tofacitinib strongly synergized with venetoclax in coculture with bone marrow stromal cells but not in monoculture. Surprisingly, we found that ruxolitinib, an FDA approved agent targeting JAK1 and JAK2, did not lead to the same anti-myeloma effects. Combination with a novel irreversible JAK3-selective inhibitor also did not enhance ruxolitinib effects. Transcriptome analysis and unbiased phosphoproteomics revealed that bone marrow stromal cells stimulate a JAK/STAT-mediated proliferative program in myeloma cells, and tofacitinib reversed the large majority of these pro-growth signals. Taken together, our results suggest that tofacitinib reverses the growth-promoting effects of the tumor microenvironment. As tofacitinib is already FDA approved, these results can be rapidly translated into potential clinical benefits for myeloma patients
A peculiar multi-wavelength flare in the Blazar 3C 454.3
The blazar 3C454.3 exhibited a strong flare seen in gamma-rays, X-rays, and
optical/NIR bands during 3--12 December 2009. Emission in the V and J bands
rose more gradually than did the gamma-rays and soft X-rays, though all peaked
at nearly the same time. Optical polarization measurements showed dramatic
changes during the flare, with a strong anti-correlation between optical flux
and degree of polarization (which rose from ~ 3% to ~ 20%) during the declining
phase of the flare. The flare was accompanied by large rapid swings in
polarization angle of ~ 170 degree. This combination of behaviors appear to be
unique. We have cm-band radio data during the same period but they show no
correlation with variations at higher frequencies. Such peculiar behavior may
be explained using jet models incorporating fully relativistic effects with a
dominant source region moving along a helical path or by a shock-in-jet model
incorporating three-dimensional radiation transfer if there is a dominant
helical magnetic field. We find that spectral energy distributions at different
times during the flare can be fit using modified one-zone models where only the
magnetic field strength and particle break frequencies and normalizations need
change. An optical spectrum taken at nearly the same time provides an estimate
for the central black hole mass of ~ 2.3 * 10^9 M_sun. We also consider two
weaker flares seen during the d span over which multi-band data are
available. In one of them, the V and J bands appear to lead the -ray
and X-ray bands by a few days; in the other, all variations are simultaneous.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables; MNRAS in pres
Antibody-drug conjugate targeting CD46 eliminates multiple myeloma cells
Multiple myeloma is incurable by standard approaches because of inevitable relapse and development of treatment resistance in all patients. In our prior work, we identified a panel of macropinocytosing human monoclonal antibodies against CD46, a negative regulator of the innate immune system, and constructed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). In this report, we show that an anti-CD46 ADC (CD46-ADC) potently inhibited proliferation in myeloma cell lines with little effect on normal cells. CD46-ADC also potently eliminated myeloma growth in orthometastatic xenograft models. In primary myeloma cells derived from bone marrow aspirates, CD46-ADC induced apoptosis and cell death, but did not affect the viability of nontumor mononuclear cells. It is of clinical interest that the CD46 gene resides on chromosome 1q, which undergoes genomic amplification in the majority of relapsed myeloma patients. We found that the cell surface expression level of CD46 was markedly higher in patient myeloma cells with 1q gain than in those with normal 1q copy number. Thus, genomic amplification of CD46 may serve as a surrogate for target amplification that could allow patient stratification for tailored CD46-targeted therapy. Overall, these findings indicate that CD46 is a promising target for antibody-based treatment of multiple myeloma, especially in patients with gain of chromosome 1q
Family Firms and Firm Performance: Evidence from Japan
Corrigendum: Nature Structural and Molecular Biology 16 (12), 1331 (2009) doi:10.1038/nsmb1209-1331bInternational audienceThioredoxins (Trxs) are oxidoreductase enzymes, present in all organisms, that catalyze the reduction of disulfide bonds in proteins. By applying a calibrated force to a substrate disulfide, the chemical mechanisms of Trx catalysis can be examined in detail at the single-molecule level. Here we use single-molecule force-clamp spectroscopy to explore the chemical evolution of Trx catalysis by probing the chemistry of eight different Trx enzymes. All Trxs show a characteristic Michaelis-Menten mechanism that is detected when the disulfide bond is stretched at low forces, but at high forces, two different chemical behaviors distinguish bacterial-origin from eukaryotic-origin Trxs. Eukaryotic-origin Trxs reduce disulfide bonds through a single-electron transfer reaction (SET), whereas bacterial-origin Trxs show both nucleophilic substitution (SN2) and SET reactions. A computational analysis of Trx structures identifies the evolution of the binding groove as an important factor controlling the chemistry of Trx catalysis
Global Analysis of Cellular Proteolysis by Selective Enzymatic Labeling of Protein N-Termini
Clinical application of high throughput molecular screening techniques for pharmacogenomics.
Recommended from our members
Clinical application of high throughput molecular screening techniques for pharmacogenomics.
Genetic analysis is one of the fastest-growing areas of clinical diagnostics. Fortunately, as our knowledge of clinically relevant genetic variants rapidly expands, so does our ability to detect these variants in patient samples. Increasing demand for genetic information may necessitate the use of high throughput diagnostic methods as part of clinically validated testing. Here we provide a general overview of our current and near-future abilities to perform large-scale genetic testing in the clinical laboratory. First we review in detail molecular methods used for high throughput mutation detection, including techniques able to monitor thousands of genetic variants for a single patient or to genotype a single genetic variant for thousands of patients simultaneously. These methods are analyzed in the context of pharmacogenomic testing in the clinical laboratories, with a focus on tests that are currently validated as well as those that hold strong promise for widespread clinical application in the near future. We further discuss the unique economic and clinical challenges posed by pharmacogenomic markers. Our ability to detect genetic variants frequently outstrips our ability to accurately interpret them in a clinical context, carrying implications both for test development and introduction into patient management algorithms. These complexities must be taken into account prior to the introduction of any pharmacogenomic biomarker into routine clinical testing
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Seeking Convergence and Cure with New Myeloma Therapies
For over a decade, the mainstay of multiple myeloma therapy has been small molecules that directly attack malignant plasma cell biology. However, potent immunotherapies have recently emerged, transforming the myeloma therapeutic landscape. Here we first review new promising strategies to target plasma cells through protein homeostasis and epigenetic modulators. We then discuss emerging immunotherapy strategies that are leading to dramatic results in patients. Finally, we focus on recent preclinical data suggesting that enforcing cell-surface antigen expression through small molecules may enhance immunotherapy efficacy and avoid resistance. We argue that these emerging observations point the way toward potential convergence between drug classes. With recent rapid progress we may finally be on the verge of the 'C' word: a cure for myeloma
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