Malattie rare in genetica clinica: variabilità e distribuzione nella popolazione sarda, applicazione di test genetici, studio delle nuove prospettive terapeutiche

Le distrofie muscolari sono un gruppo di disordini degenerativi del muscolo geneticamente eterogeneo, caratterizzato da progressiva perdita della forza e dell’integrità muscolare. Distrofia muscolare è un termine generico che descrive un gruppo di disordini miogenici ereditari, caratterizzati da una progressiva disorganizzazione e atrofia del muscolo con variazione dello spessore delle fibre muscolari, aree di necrosi con incremento della quantità di grasso e di tessuto connettivo. La malattia muscolare riguarda l’anello terminale dell’unità motoria. La debolezza muscolare, o difetto di forza, colpisce la muscolatura prossimale dei cingoli scapolare e pelvico e, in certe forme in modo suggestivo, quella del collo e della faccia. Negli ultimi due decenni, il notevole sviluppo delle ricerche di genetica molecolare ha consentito di identificare molti dei geni coinvolti in tali malattie e ha fornito così la chiave per decifrarne la patogenesi molecolare; attualmente sono stati mappati 29 differenti loci che danno origine a 34 distinti disordini che variano per l’età di inizio, grado di severità, modo di ereditarietà, e gruppi muscolari che sono primariamente coinvolti. La membrana delle fibre muscolari (sarcolemma) è la vera responsabile di questo gruppo di malattie e la sua composizione proteica, ora molto più nota, risulta straordinariamente complessa

Malattie rare in genetica clinica: variabilità e distribuzione nella popolazione sarda, applicazione di test genetici, studio delle nuove prospettive terapeutiche

Le distrofie muscolari sono un gruppo di disordini degenerativi del muscolo geneticamente eterogeneo, caratterizzato da progressiva perdita della forza e dell’integrità muscolare. Distrofia muscolare è un termine generico che descrive un gruppo di disordini miogenici ereditari, caratterizzati da una progressiva disorganizzazione e atrofia del muscolo con variazione dello spessore delle fibre muscolari, aree di necrosi con incremento della quantità di grasso e di tessuto connettivo. La malattia muscolare riguarda l’anello terminale dell’unità motoria. La debolezza muscolare, o difetto di forza, colpisce la muscolatura prossimale dei cingoli scapolare e pelvico e, in certe forme in modo suggestivo, quella del collo e della faccia. Negli ultimi due decenni, il notevole sviluppo delle ricerche di genetica molecolare ha consentito di identificare molti dei geni coinvolti in tali malattie e ha fornito così la chiave per decifrarne la patogenesi molecolare; attualmente sono stati mappati 29 differenti loci che danno origine a 34 distinti disordini che variano per l’età di inizio, grado di severità, modo di ereditarietà, e gruppi muscolari che sono primariamente coinvolti. La membrana delle fibre muscolari (sarcolemma) è la vera responsabile di questo gruppo di malattie e la sua composizione proteica, ora molto più nota, risulta straordinariamente complessa

IMMU-01. TEM-GBM: AN OPEN-LABEL, PHASE I/IIA DOSE-ESCALATION STUDY EVALUATING THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED TIE-2 EXPRESSING MONOCYTES TO DELIVER IFN-A WITHIN GLIOBLASTOMA TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT

Abstract Temferon is a macrophage-based treatment relying on ex-vivo transduction of autologous HSPCs to express immune-payloads within the TME. Temferon targets the immune-modulatory molecule IFN-a, to a subset of tumor infiltrating macrophages known as Tie-2 expressing macrophages (TEMs) due to the Tie2 promoter and a post-transcriptional regulation layer represented by miRNA-126 target sequences. As of 31st May 2021, 15-patients received Temferon (D+0) with follow-up of 3 – 693 days. After conditioning neutrophil and platelet engraftment occurred at D+13 and D+13.5, respectively. Temferon-derived differentiated cells, as determined be the number of vector copy per genome, were found within 14 days post treatment and persisted albeit at lower levels up to 18-months. Very low concentrations of IFN-a in the plasma (8.7 pg/ml-D+30) and in the CSF (1.6 pg/ml-D+30) were detected, suggesting tight regulation of transgene expression. Five-deaths occurred at D+322, +340, +402, +478 and +646 due to PD, and one at D+60 due to complications following the conditioning regimen. Eight-patients had progressive disease (range: D-11 to +239) as expected for this tumor type. SAEs include GGT elevation (possibly related to Temferon) and infections, venous thromboembolism, brain abscess, hemiparesis, seizures, anemia and general physical condition deterioration, compatible with ASCT, concomitant medications and PD. Four-patients underwent 2ndsurgery. Recurrent tumors had gene-marked cells and increased expression of ISGs compared to first surgery, indicative of local IFNa release by TEMs. In one patient, a stable lesion had a higher proportion of T cells and TEMs within the myeloid infiltrate and an increased ISGs than in the progressing lesion, detected in the same patient. Tumor-associated clones expanded in the periphery. TME characterization by scRNA and TCR-sequencing is ongoing. To date, Temferon is well tolerated, with no DLTs identified. The results provide initial evidence of Temferon potential to activate the immune system of GBM patients, as predicted by preclinical studies

High Risk of Secondary Infections Following Thrombotic Complications in Patients With COVID-19

Background. This study’s primary aim was to evaluate the impact of thrombotic complications on the development of secondary infections. The secondary aim was to compare the etiology of secondary infections in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Methods. This was a cohort study (NCT04318366) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients hospitalized at IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital between February 25 and June 30, 2020. Incidence rates (IRs) were calculated by univariable Poisson regression as the number of cases per 1000 person-days of follow-up (PDFU) with 95% confidence intervals. The cumulative incidence functions of secondary infections according to thrombotic complications were compared with Gray’s method accounting for competing risk of death. A multivariable Fine-Gray model was applied to assess factors associated with risk of secondary infections. Results. Overall, 109/904 patients had 176 secondary infections (IR, 10.0; 95% CI, 8.8–11.5; per 1000-PDFU). The IRs of secondary infections among patients with or without thrombotic complications were 15.0 (95% CI, 10.7–21.0) and 9.3 (95% CI, 7.9–11.0) per 1000-PDFU, respectively (P = .017). At multivariable analysis, thrombotic complications were associated with the development of secondary infections (subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.788; 95% CI, 1.018–3.140; P = .043). The etiology of secondary infections was similar in patients with and without thrombotic complications. Conclusions. In patients with COVID-19, thrombotic complications were associated with a high risk of secondary infections

Astrophysics with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be a transformative experiment for gravitational wave astronomy as it will offer unique opportunities to address many key astrophysical questions in a completely novel way. The synergy with ground-based and other space-based instruments in the electromagnetic domain, by enabling multi-messenger observations, will add further to the discovery potential of LISA. The next decade is crucial to prepare the astrophysical community for LISA's first observations. This review outlines the extensive landscape of astrophysical theory, numerical simulations, and astronomical observations that are instrumental for modeling and interpreting the upcoming LISA datastream. To this aim, the current knowledge in three main source classes for LISA is reviewed: ultra-compact stellar-mass binaries, massive black hole binaries, and extreme or intermediate mass ratio inspirals. The relevant astrophysical processes and the established modeling techniques are summarized. Likewise, open issues and gaps in our understanding of these sources are highlighted, along with an indication of how LISA could help make progress in the different areas. New research avenues that LISA itself, or its joint exploitation with studies in the electromagnetic domain, will enable, are also illustrated. Improvements in modeling and analysis approaches, such as the combination of numerical simulations and modern data science techniques, are discussed. This review is intended to be a starting point for using LISA as a new discovery tool for understanding our Universe

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level