Potential impact of HercepTest™ mAb PharmDx (Dako Omnis) (ge001) in breast cancer diagnosis

The HER2 gene is a biomarker for breast cancer prognosis and treatment. Overexpression of HER2 protein determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or amplification of the HER2 gene determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a condition for qualifying patients for anti-HER2 therapy. Due to the high toxicity of anti-HER2 treatment, proper patient selection is essential. In our study we compared 40 cases with IHC staining of HER2 antibody determined by Ventana PATHWAY anti-HER2/neu antibody (4B5) as HER2 2+ with the new antibody (HercepTest™ mAb PharmDx [Dako Omnis] [GE001]). Then using a double-blind study we compared the (IHC) evaluation with FISH results. In 65% of cases (26/40) the IHC 2+ score remained unchanged, in 32.5% of cases (13/40) expression of HER2 protein after IHC with new antibody was indicated as 3+ score, and in one case we observed a decrease of HER2 protein expression to 1+. In all cases but one, in which we found IHC HER 3+ with new antibody, there was FISH amplification. We have reason to believe that the new antibody will reduce the diagnostic time and avoid unnecessary costs. Due to the small study group, further investigation is needed

The Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Articular Cartilage Regeneration and Disease Modelling: Are We Ready for Their Clinical Use?

The development of induced pluripotent stem cells has brought unlimited possibilities to the field of regenerative medicine. This could be ideal for treating osteoarthritis and other skeletal diseases, because the current procedures tend to be short-term solutions. The usage of induced pluripotent stem cells in the cell-based regeneration of cartilage damages could replace or improve on the current techniques. The patient’s specific non-invasive collection of tissue for reprogramming purposes could also create a platform for drug screening and disease modelling for an overview of distinct skeletal abnormalities. In this review, we seek to summarise the latest achievements in the chondrogenic differentiation of pluripotent stem cells for regenerative purposes and disease modelling

The Potential Role of Selected miRNA in Uveal Melanoma Primary Tumors as Early Biomarkers of Disease Progression

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary tumor of the eye diagnosed in adults, associated with a high risk of metastasis and thereby, poor prognosis. Among known risk factors for the development of metastatic disease is the loss of BAP1 expression and chromosome 3 monosomy in the primary tumor. However, the expression levels of specific micro RNAs (miRNA) in tumor tissue may also serve as a valuable marker for determining the risk of metastatic disease in patients with primary uveal melanoma. In our study, we analyzed the miRNA expression data of cases selected from The Cancer Genome Atlas study on uveal melanoma, and determined a panel of 15 miRNAs differentially expressed between patients with primary and metastatic disease. Next, 6 miRNAs were validated on a group of 46 tumor samples from primary and metastatic patients. We have shown, that expression of hsa-miR-592, hsa-miR-346, and hsa-miR-1247 was significantly increased, while hsa-miR-506 and hsa-miR-513c were decreased in the tumors of patients with metastatic disease. Hsa-miR-196b expression did not differ between the two subgroups, however, we showed significant correlation with BAP1 expression. Moreover, hsa-miR-592 also showed correlation with monosomy 3 tumors. Gene ontology analysis revealed involvement of those miRNAs with cellular processes mediating the metastatic process. Our results showed that miRNAs play an important role in the deregulation of several oncogenic pathways in UM and can, thereby, promote metastatic spread to distant organs. Moreover, differentially expressed miRNAs may be used as an interesting biomarker for the assessment of metastatic risk in uveal melanoma patients