Advances in Magnetic-Optical Multimodality Molecular Imaging for Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal cancers in the world, has been increasing in incidence and mortality year by year, and the overall prognosis of patients is poor. Early detection and effective treatment are crucial for improving the prognosis and survival rates of pancreatic cancer patients. Unlike traditional imaging, emerging molecular imaging can visualize the abnormalities at the molecular or cellular level in the process of tumor development. At present, multimodality molecular imaging that integrates multiple imaging methods to achieve complementary advantages and multifunctional nanoplatforms with integrated diagnosis and treatment functions have become research hotspots in the field of molecular imaging. Remarkable progress has been made in preclinical research concerning magnetic-optical multimodality molecular imaging probes and their derived multifunctional nanoplatforms, which provides new ideas for early detection, accurate treatment and efficacy evaluation of pancreatic cancer

Assessment of Response to Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer with Liver Metastasis: CT Texture as a Predictive Biomarker

In this paper, we assess changes in CT texture of metastatic liver lesions after treatment with chemotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer and determine if texture parameters correlate with measured time to progression (TTP). This retrospective study included 110 patients with pancreatic cancer with liver metastasis, and mean, entropy, kurtosis, skewness, mean of positive pixels, and standard deviation (SD) values were extracted during texture analysis. Response assessment was also obtained by using RECIST 1.1, Choi and modified Choi criteria, respectively. The correlation of texture parameters and existing assessment criteria with TTP were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses in the training cohort. Kaplan-Meier curves of the proportion of patients without disease progression were significantly different for several texture parameters, and were better than those for RECIST 1.1-, Choi-, and modified Choi-defined response (p < 0.05 vs. p = 0.398, p = 0.142, and p = 0.536, respectively). Cox regression analysis showed that percentage change in SD was an independent predictor of TTP (p = 0.016) and confirmed in the validation cohort (p = 0.019). In conclusion, CT texture parameters have the potential to become predictive imaging biomarkers for response evaluation in pancreatic cancer with liver metastasis

Tumor microenvironment-oriented adaptive nanodrugs based on peptide self-assembly

The aberrant metabolism of tumor cells creates an inimitable microenvironment featuring acidic pH, high glutathione (GSH) levels, and overexpression of certain enzymes, which benefits the overwhelming progress of a tumor. Peptide self-assembly, emerging as a biofriendly and versatile fabrication strategy, harnesses multiple noncovalent interactions to obtain a variety of nanostructures tailored on demand. Orchestrating the reversible nature of noncovalent interactions and abnormal physiological parameters in the tumor microenvironment enables peptide-based nanodrugs to be targetable or switchable, thereby improving the drugs' bioavailability and optimizing the treatment outcome. This review will focus on peptide-modulated self-assembly of photosensitizers, chemotherapeutic drugs, immunoactive agents for tumor microenvironment-oriented adaptive phototherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and combinatorial therapy. We will emphasize the building block design, the intermolecular interaction principle, adaptive structural transformation in the tumor microenvironment and corresponding therapeutic efficacy, and aim to elucidate the critical role of peptide-modulated, tumor microenvironment-oriented adaptive assemblies in improving the therapeutic index. Challenges and opportunities will be covered as well to advance the development and clinical application of tumor therapies based on peptide self-assembly materials and techniques

Supramolecular Nanofibrils Formed by Coassembly of Clinically Approved Drugs for Tumor Photothermal Immunotherapy

Pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal malignancies, compromises the performance of traditional therapeutic regimens in the clinic because of stromal resistance to systemic drug delivery and poor prognosis caused by tumor metastasis. Therefore, a biocompatible therapeutic paradigm that can effectively inhibit pancreatic tumor growth while simultaneously eliminating tumor metastasis is urgently needed. Herein, supramolecular nanofibrils are fabricated through coassembly of clinically approved immunomodulatory thymopentin and near-infrared indocyanine green for localized photothermal immunotherapy of pancreatic tumors. The resulting long-range ordered fibrous nanodrugs show improved photophysical capabilities for fluorescence imaging and photothermal conversion and significantly promote the proliferation and differentiation of antitumor immune cells. Hence, the integration of rapid photothermal therapy and moderate immunomodulation for inhibiting tumor growth and eliminating tumor metastasis is promising. The utilization of clinically approved molecules to construct nanodrugs administered via localized injection amplifies the complementary photothermal immunotherapeutic effects of the components, creating opportunities for clinical translation as a treatment for pancreatic cancer

PD-1 blockade in combination with zoledronic acid to enhance the antitumor efficacy in the breast cancer mouse model

Abstract Background Blockade of PD-1 receptor may provide proof of concepts for the activity of an immune-modulation approach for the treatment of breast cancer (BC). Zoledronic acid (ZA) has been proven to inhibit angiogenesis, invasion, and adhesion of tumor cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of monoclonal antibody against T cell checkpoint PD-1 in combination with chemotherapeutic drug ZA in BC mouse model. Methods The 4 T1-fLuc mouse BC model was used in this study. The anti-tumor efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody alone or in combination with ZA was monitored by measuring bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and tumor volume. At the end of study, the flow cytometry was used to determine the immune cell population in tumors after different treatment. Results The results showed that mice treated with the combination therapy of anti-PD-1 antibody plus ZA exhibited better antitumor response compared to untreated controls or single therapy with no obvious toxicity. Conclusion Our study provides preclinical evidence for the enhanced BC treatment benefit through targeting co-signal molecules by combining anti-PD-1 antibody plus ZA treatment

Establishment and Preliminary Application of Competency Model for Undergraduate Medical Imaging Teachers

ObjectiveTo establish a medical imaging teacher competency model and evaluate its application value in group teaching for undergraduates.MethodsBased on literature review, a competency model for teachers in medical colleges and universities was established. This study collected the self-evaluation scores and student evaluation scores of the competency model for teachers from Radiology Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital who participated in the undergraduate medical imaging group teaching from September 2020 to November 2021, and compared the differences of various competencies before and after training, between different professional titles and between different length of teaching.ResultsA total of 18 teachers were included in the teaching of undergraduate medical imaging group, with 11 having short teaching experience (≤5 years) and 7 having long teaching experience (> 5 years). Altogether 200 undergraduate students participated in the course (95 in the class of 2016 and 105 in the class of 2017). There were 8 teachers with a junior professional title, 5 with an intermediate professional title, and 5 with a senior professional title. The teacher competency model covered a total of 5 first-level indicators, including medical education knowledge, teaching competency, scientific research competency, organizational competency, and others, which corresponded to 13 second-level indicators. The teachers' self-evaluation scores of two first-level indicators, scientific research competency and organizational competency, as well as three second-level indicators, teaching skills, academic research on teaching and research, and communication abilities, showed significant improvements after the training, compared to those before training(all P < 0.05). Compared to the teachers with intermediate to senior professional titles/long teaching years, the teachers with junior professional titles/short teaching years had lower self-evaluation scores for multiple first-level and second-level indicators before the teacher training. After the training, these teachers showed more significant improvements in multiple indicators of self-evaluation scores(all P < 0.05). Additionally, students' evaluation changes for the teachers with junior professional titles before and after the training were consistent with this trend.ConclusionsThe competency model of undergraduate medical imaging teachers based on teacher competency can be preliminarily applied for the training of medical imaging teachers, as it reflects the change of competency of the teachers with different professional titles and teaching years in the process of group teaching