German-Lab Experimental Facility

Abstract. The G-Lab project aims to investigate concepts and technologies for future networks in a practical manner. Thus G-Lab consists of two major fields of activities: research studies of future network components and the design and setup of experimental facilities. Both is controlled by the same community to en-sure, that the experimental facility fits to the demand of researchers. Researchers gain access to virtualized resources or may gain exclusive access to resource if necessary. We present the current setup of the experimental facility, describing the available hardware, management of the platform, the utilization of the Planet-Lab software and the user management.

Treatment monitoring in metastatic colorectal cancer patients by quantification and <i>KRAS</i> genotyping of circulating cell-free DNA

<div><p>Treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) has continuously improved over the last decade. However, disease monitoring remains underdeveloped and mostly dependent on imaging e.g. RECIST 1.1 criteria. The genetic landscape of individual cancers and subsequently occurring treatment-induced evolution remain neglected in current surveillance strategies. Novel biomarkers demand minimally invasive and repetitive tracking of the cancer mutagenome for therapy stratification and to make prognostic predictions. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a routinely used tumor marker for CRC, does not meet these goals and thus prevents its use as a reliable monitoring tool. A tumor-derived fraction of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA), isolated from blood samples, may bypass the limitations of currently available biomarkers and could be a tool for noninvasive disease monitoring. Here, total cfDNA levels differentiated a cohort of metastatic CRC patients from healthy controls. Furthermore, we correlated cfDNA during chemotherapy of 27 stage IV patients with clinical parameters to establish its prognostic and predictive value. Indeed, cfDNA levels in chemotherapy naive patients correlate with the tumor burden and CEA values at diagnosis and increase upon disease progression during 1^st and 2^nd line treatment. Moreover, we confirm the possibility of cfDNA-based genotyping of <i>KRAS</i> to early detect the emergence of resistance during chemotherapy. These data indicate that repetitive quantitative and mutational analysis of cfDNA might complement current treatment standards but may have also limited value in some patients.</p></div