STING Agonist 8803 Reprograms the Immune Microenvironment and Increases Survival in Preclinical Models of Glioblastoma

STING agonists can reprogram the tumor microenvironment to induce immunological clearance within the central nervous system. Using multiplexed sequential immunofluorescence (SeqIF) and the Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas, STING expression was found in myeloid populations and in the perivascular space. The STING agonist 8803 increased median survival in multiple preclinical models of glioblastoma, including QPP8, an immune checkpoint blockade-resistant model, where 100% of mice were cured. Ex vivo flow cytometry profiling during the therapeutic window demonstrated increases in myeloid tumor trafficking and activation, alongside enhancement of CD8+ T cell and NK effector responses. Treatment with 8803 reprogrammed microglia to express costimulatory CD80/CD86 and iNOS, while decreasing immunosuppressive CD206 and arginase. In humanized mice, where tumor cell STING is epigenetically silenced, 8803 therapeutic activity was maintained, further attesting to myeloid dependency and reprogramming. Although the combination with a STAT3 inhibitor did not further enhance STING agonist activity, the addition of anti-PD-1 antibodies to 8803 treatment enhanced survival in an immune checkpoint blockade-responsive glioma model. In summary, 8803 as a monotherapy demonstrates marked in vivo therapeutic activity, meriting consideration for clinical translation

Central nervous system blastomycosis presenting as a year-long chronic headache

This case describes a posterior fossa mass due to blastomycotic infection in a non-immunocompromised 41-year-old male presenting with a chronic headache for over one year. Given the risk of herniation, no lumbar puncture could be performed. A full work-up found no evidence of systemic infection. Surgical resection helped identify the mass as a blastomycotic abscess. Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of the mass were helpful in the identification of the mass as a fungal abscess

Trifluoroacetic acid and trifluoroacetic anhydride radical cations dissociate near the ionization limit

The threshold photoelectron spectra (TPES) and ion dissociation breakdown curves for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAN) were measured by imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy employing both effusive room-temperature samples and samples introduced in a seeded molecular beam. The fine structure in the breakdown diagram of TFA mirroring the vibrational progression in the TPES suggests that direct ionization to the X+ state leads to parent ions with a lower "effective temperature" than nonresonant ionization in between the vibrational progression. Composite W1U, CBS-QB3, CBS-APNO, G3, and G4 calculations yielded an average ionization energy (IE) of 11.69 ± 0.06 eV, consistent with the experimental value of 11.64 ± 0.01 eV, based on Franck-Condon modeling of the TPES. The measured 0 K appearance energies (AE0K) for the reaction forming CO2H+ + CF3 from TFA were 11.92 for effusive data and 11.94 ± 0.01 eV for molecular beam data, consistent with the calculated composite method 0 K reaction energy of 11.95 ± 0.08 eV. Together with the 0 K heats of formation (fH0K) of CO2H+ and CF3, this yields a fH0K of neutral TFA of -1016.6 ± 1.5 kJ mol-1 (-1028.3 ± 1.5 kJ mol-1 at 298 K). TFAN did not exhibit a molecular ion at room-temperature conditions, but a small signal was observed when rovibrationally cold species were probed in a molecular beam. The two observed dissociation channels were CF3C(O)OC(O)+ + CF3 and the dominant, sequential reaction CF3CO+ + CF3 + CO2. Calculations revealed a low-energy isomer of ionized TFAN, incorporating the three moieties CF3CO+, CF3, and CO2 joined in a noncovalent complex, mediating its unimolecular dissociation.Fil: Lesniak, Lukas. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Salas, Juana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Fisicoquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Burner, Jake. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Diedhiou, Malick. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Burgos Paci, Maximiliano Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Fisicoquímica; ArgentinaFil: Bodi, Andras. Paul Scherrer Institute; SuizaFil: Mayer, Paul M.. University of Ottawa; Canad

Pyrolysis of Trifluoroacetic Acid and Trifluoroacetic Anhydride Studied with Mass Spectrometry and Synchrotron Radiation: Decomposition and Free Radical Formation

The remediation strategies for accumulated polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a subject of great concern in environmental science. In this study, the thermal decomposition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAN), taken as models of PFAS, were explored. Imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy was used to detect pyrolysis products from room temperature to 1000 °C under dilute conditions. The observed pyrolysis products of each molecule were CO, CO2, CF2, and CF2O (and CF3 for TFAN), with some species reflecting unimolecular rearrangement prior to dissociation. Electronic structure calculations using density functional theory and the SVECV-F12 composite method were employed to evaluate the energy of the different decomposition channels. The results show the advantage of exploring the pyrolysis under dilute conditions to catch the first stages of unimolecular dissociation of these molecules for the first time.Fil: Ladino Cardona, Miyer Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Salas, Juana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Lesniak, Lukas. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Mommers, A. A.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Mayer, Paul M.. University of Ottawa; CanadáFil: Burgos Paci, Maximiliano Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentin