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Bibliography on: Publications by FHCRC Researchers

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ESP: PubMed Auto Bibliography 17 Jul 2025 at 01:46 Created: 

Publications by FHCRC Researchers

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center began in 1975, with critical help from Washington State's U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson. Fred Hutch quickly became the permanent home to Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who had spent decades developing an innovative treatment for leukemia and other blood cancers. Thomas and his colleagues were working to cure cancer by transplanting human bone marrow after otherwise lethal doses of chemotherapy and radiation. At the Hutch, Thomas improved this treatment and readied it for widespread use. Since then, the pioneering procedure has saved hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide. While improving bone marrow transplantation remains central to Fred Hutch's research, it is now only part of its efforts. The Hutch is home to five scientific divisions, three Nobel laureates and more than 2,700 faculty, who collectively have published more than 10,000 scientific papers, presented here as a full bibliography.

NOTE: From 1995 to 2009 I served as the Hutch's vice president for information technology — hence my interest in the organization. Although my role was in the admin division, if you dig through this bibliography, you will find a couple of papers with me as an author.

Created with PubMed® Query: ( fhcrc[Affiliation] OR "fred hutchinson"[Affiliation] OR "Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research"[Affiliation] OR "Fred Hutch"[affiliation] ) NOT pmcbook NOT ispreviousversion

Citations The Papers (from PubMed®)

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RevDate: 2025-07-16

Watt GP, Reiner AS, Shu X, et al (2025)

Polygenic risk of coronary artery disease for long-term survivors of breast cancer.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute pii:8203076 [Epub ahead of print].

AIM: Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for long-term breast cancer survivors. We evaluated whether a polygenic risk score for coronary artery disease (CAD-PRS) was associated with the risk of incident CAD for survivors of unilateral or contralateral breast cancer.

METHODS: The study included 1,307 women with breast cancer first diagnosed at age <55 years who participated in the WECARE Follow-up Study. The CAD-PRS was based on a PRS developed and validated in a separate population. We modelled the association between incident CAD and the CAD-PRS, adjusting for age, CAD risk factors, first (and second) breast cancer treatment, study recruitment phase, and genetic population stratification. We also explored whether the risk of CAD depended on interactions between the CAD-PRS and cardiotoxic cancer treatment.

RESULTS: There were 65 incident CAD diagnoses reported at a median of 16 years after breast cancer diagnosis. Participants with CAD-PRS≥median had a 2.48-times increased risk of CAD (95%CI = 1.44-4.29) relative to participants with CAD-PRS
CONCLUSIONS: A genome-wide CAD-PRS was associated with non-fatal CAD risk for long-term breast cancer survivors, providing potential utility for personalized cardiovascular care, particularly after RT.

RevDate: 2025-07-15
CmpDate: 2025-07-15

Miller NJ, Kwan SW, Leary JB, et al (2025)

Concurrent treatment with transarterial immunoembolization of hepatic metastases and systemic immune checkpoint inhibitors to overcome immune evasion in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.

Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 74(8):270.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) is an uncommon melanoma subtype, poorly immunogenic with low objective response rates (ORR) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Liver-directed therapies (LDT) are commonly used given the strong predilection for hepatic metastases. Transarterial immunoembolization (TAIE) with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) can potentially synergize with concurrent systemic ICI to overcome immune evasion.

METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study includes mUM patients with liver-predominant metastases who received TAIE, with/without concurrent systemic ICI (≤ 3 months before/during TAIE). Endpoints included ORR, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2023, 18 mUM patients (median age 64 years) received TAIE (median 4 procedures/patient). Fourteen patients (78%) received concurrent ICI. ORR was 17% (3/18), all in patients receiving ICI, with partial responses lasting 4.2, 35 + and 46 months. Disease control rate (stable disease or better) was 56% (10/18). Median time to next systemic therapy or death was 19.5 months (range 1.6- 46). Median PFS and OS from first TAIE treatment were 4.9 months (range 0.7-46) and 35 months (range 1.7- 46). Immune-related AEs (IRAE) during concurrent therapy occurred in seven of 10 patients receiving anti-CTLA-4/PD-1 combination, including hepatitis (n = 5; grade 2 in 1, grade 3 in 4). Four of seven patients resumed anti-PD-1 monotherapy without recurrent IRAE.

CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent LDT with GM-CSF TAIE and ICI, including anti-CTLA-4/PD-1 combination, is feasible, safe, and can lead to sustained clinical benefit in a subset of mUM patients. OS with this combination compares favorably to published outcomes for systemic therapy or LDT alone.

RevDate: 2025-07-15
CmpDate: 2025-07-15

Thiele K, Urbschat C, Riquelme JIA, et al (2025)

Pregnancy-acquired memory CD4[+] regulatory T cells improve pregnancy outcome in mice.

Nature communications, 16(1):6522.

Subsequent pregnancies are generally less prone to obstetric complications. A successful pregnancy outcome requires pivotal immunological adaptation to ensure immune tolerance towards the foetus. Thus, the lower risk for pregnancy complication during subsequent pregnancies may be attributable to immune memory mounted during first pregnancies. Here we identify higher frequencies of fetal-antigen-specific CD4[+] regulatory T (Treg) cells both postpartum and in subsequent pregnancies in mice which are partly originating from trans-differentiated Th17 cells. Our functional experiments demonstrate that these CD4[+] Treg cells have memory functions (CD4[+] mTreg) and account for an improved fetal development and pregnancy outcome, also during adverse conditions, such as gestational sound stress. Using a high-throughput single-cell quantification method, we identify candidate markers for the detection of CD4[+] mTreg cells, which include CXCR4 and CD274. Our findings thus contribute to the improved understanding of pregnancy-induced immune memory and foster the identification of immune targets aiming to reduce the risk for immune-mediated pregnancy complications.

RevDate: 2025-07-16

Sung K, Johnson MM, Dumm W, et al (2025)

Thrifty wide-context models of B cell receptor somatic hypermutation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.

Somatic hypermutation (SHM) is the diversity-generating process in antibody affinity maturation. Probabilistic models of SHM are needed for analyzing rare mutations, for understanding the selective forces guiding affinity maturation, and for understanding the underlying biochemical process. High throughput data offers the potential to develop and fit models of SHM on relevant data sets. In this paper we model SHM using modern frameworks. We are motivated by recent work suggesting the importance of a wider context for SHM, however, assigning an independent rate to each k-mer leads to an exponential proliferation of parameters. Thus, using convolutions on 3-mer embeddings, we develop "thrifty" models of SHM of various sizes; these can have fewer free parameters than a 5-mer model and yet have a significantly wider context. These offer a slight performance improvement over a 5-mer model, and other modern model elaborations worsen performance. We also find that a per-site effect is not necessary to explain SHM patterns given nucleotide context. Also, the two current methods for fitting an SHM model - on out-of-frame sequence data and on synonymous mutations - produce significantly different results, and augmenting out-of-frame data with synonymous mutations does not aid out-of-sample performance.

RevDate: 2025-07-15
CmpDate: 2025-07-15

Miller NJ, Baik C, Neal JW, et al (2025)

Napsin A-specific T-cell clonotypes are associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients receiving checkpoint immunotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 13(7): pii:jitc-2025-011907.

BACKGROUND: Napsin A is normally expressed in human lung pneumocytes and is a highly expressed cancer antigen in lung adenocarcinoma. We examined whether T cells specific for Napsin A may play a role in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-mediated responses. We used bulk T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire data to assess whether the presence of Napsin A-specific clonotypes in the peripheral blood was associated with improved clinical responses to ICI.

METHODS: Patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and/or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) were enrolled at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Stanford University Medical Center (n=62; histology of adenocarcinoma n=48, squamous n=9, NSCLC/other n=5). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected for genomic DNA isolation at one pretreatment and one post-treatment time point (range 3 weeks to 3 months). TCRβ was bulk sequenced via the immunoSEQ platform (Adaptive Biotechnologies). Napsin A-specific TCRβ sequences were identified from publicly available data and their frequencies were quantified in each patient sample. We examined whether overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) outcomes differed in patients with or without detectable Napsin A-specific TCRs (herein Napsin TCRs). We used Cox proportional hazards regression to assess the association between detectable Napsin TCRs and PFS or OS in univariable and multivariable analyses.

RESULTS: Napsin TCRs were detectable in the blood in a large fraction of our cohort (n=25/62 (40%) pretreatment; n=21/42 (50%) post-treatment). Patients with detectable Napsin TCRs had a significant improvement in OS compared with patients without these TCRs (median OS 45.4 vs 14.8 months, p=0.0043 pretreatment; median OS 55.4 vs 18.9 months, p=0.0066 post-treatment). Among 27 HLA-A*02 carriers of 55 human leukocyte antigen-typed patients (49%), patients with detectable pretreatment Napsin TCRs had a significant improvement in OS (median 60.2 vs 16.5 months, p=0.0054) and PFS (median 21.5 vs 7.2 months, p=0.031) compared with patients without these TCRs. In univariate and multivariate analysis, the presence of Napsin TCRs pretreatment was associated with improved OS (p=0.0057, HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.76 univariate; p=0.033, HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.91 multivariate).

CONCLUSIONS: Napsin TCRs are frequently detected in patients with NSCLC and are associated with improved OS in patients with NSCLC receiving ICI.

RevDate: 2025-07-15

Brooks TR, Zabor EC, Bedelu Y, et al (2025)

Real-world outcomes of patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma treated with epcoritamab or glofitamab.

Blood pii:546196 [Epub ahead of print].

Epcoritamab and glofitamab are CD20-directed bispecific antibodies approved in the US for relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Limited data exist for patients treated outside of trials. Patients with R/R DLBCL receiving commercial epcoritamab or glofitamab between January 1, 2023 and October 15, 2024 were collected from 21 US institutions. Among 245 patients, 156 received epcoritamab and 89 received glofitamab, 113 were refractory to front-line therapy, 40 had MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements, 147 received prior chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and 174 patients would have been ineligible for registrational trials. The overall response rate (ORR) for epcoritamab and glofitamab was 51% (23% complete response, [CR]) and 53% (30% CR), respectively. Median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 2.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0 to 3.8 months), and median overall survival (mOS) was 7.8 months (95% CI 6.2 to 11.0 months). The 6-month PFS was 36% (95% CI 30% to 44%) and the 6-month OS was 60% (95% CI 54% to 67%). Both trial ineligibility and undetectable CD20 pre-bispecific portended shorter PFS and OS. Of 17 individuals with paired biopsies, 15 (88.2%) lost CD20 expression after bispecifics with a median time to progression of 3.7 months. This analysis including R/R DLBCL patients shows the ORR to CD3/CD20 BsAbs was comparable to pivotal trials, although PFS and OS were lower. Baseline undetectable levels of CD20 was associated with poor outcomes. These results demonstrate the activity of BsAbs in R/R DLBCL and underscore the importance of target antigen expression.

RevDate: 2025-07-15
CmpDate: 2025-07-15

Oviedo F, Kazerouni AS, Liznerski P, et al (2025)

Cancer Detection in Breast MRI Screening via Explainable AI Anomaly Detection.

Radiology, 316(1):e241629.

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) models hold potential to increase the accuracy and efficiency of breast MRI screening; however, existing models have not been rigorously evaluated in populations with low cancer prevalence and lack interpretability, both of which are essential for clinical adoption. Purpose To develop an explainable AI model for cancer detection at breast MRI that is effective in both high- and low-cancer-prevalence settings. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 9738 breast MRI examinations from a single institution (2005-2022), with external testing in a publicly available multicenter dataset (221 examinations). In total, 9567 consecutive examinations were used to develop an explainable fully convolutional data description (FCDD) anomaly detection model to detect malignancies on contrast-enhanced MRI scans. Performance was evaluated in three cohorts: grouped cross-validation (for both balanced [20.0% malignant] and imbalanced [1.85% malignant] detection tasks), an internal independent test set (171 examinations), and an external dataset. Explainability was assessed through pixelwise comparisons with reference-standard malignancy annotations. Statistical significance was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results FCDD outperformed the benchmark binary cross-entropy (BCE) model in cross-validation for both balanced (mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.84 ± 0.01 [SD] vs 0.81 ± 0.01; P < .001) and imbalanced (mean AUC = 0.72 ± 0.03 vs 0.69 ± 0.03; P < .001) detection tasks. At a fixed 97% sensitivity in the imbalanced setting, mean specificity across folds was 13% for FCDD and 9% for BCE (P = .02). In the internal test set, FCDD outperformed BCE for balanced (mean AUC = 0.81 ± 0.02 vs 0.72 ± 0.02; P < .001) and imbalanced (mean AUC = 0.78 ± 0.05 vs 0.76 ± 0.01; P < .02) detection tasks. For model explainability, FCDD demonstrated better spatial agreement with reference-standard annotations than BCE (internal test set: mean pixelwise AUC = 0.92 ± 0.10 vs 0.81 ± 0.13; P < .001). External testing confirmed that FCDD performed well, and better than BCE, in the balanced detection task (AUC = 0.86 ± 0.01 vs 0.79 ± 0.01; P < .001). Conclusion The developed explainable AI model for cancer detection at breast MRI accurately depicted tumor location and outperformed commonly used models in both high- and low-cancer-prevalence scenarios. © RSNA, 2025 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Bae and Ham in this issue.

RevDate: 2025-07-15

Read C, Bhatia S, M Totonchy (2025)

Programmed cell death 1 blockade in the setting of severe ocular sarcoidosis: Cancer immunotherapy in a patient with autoimmunity.

JAAD case reports, 62:43-45.

RevDate: 2025-07-15

Hope A, Mundis M, Sonke JJ, et al (2025)

Three discipline collaborative radiation therapy (3DCRT) special debate: AI structure segmentation is better than clinician contouring for both OARs and targets.

Journal of applied clinical medical physics, 26(7):e70183.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Ehret F, Ebner DK, Kutuk T, et al (2025)

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Adrenal Metastases - A Case-Based Radiosurgery Society Practice Guide and Review.

Practical radiation oncology pii:S1879-8500(25)00174-2 [Epub ahead of print].

PURPOSE: Adrenal metastases are frequently diagnosed in patients with common solid tumors. Surgical adrenalectomy has historically been used for their management. However, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a safe and effective alternative. Careful treatment planning is essential, considering multiple factors such as tumor size and location, motion management, dose and fractionation, and proximity to adjacent organs at risk. This case-based practice guide and review provides an overview of SBRT for the management of adrenal tumors, with a particular focus on adrenal metastases.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Three clinical scenarios were selected to illustrate the use of SBRT in managing adrenal tumors. These include a small right-sided metastasis treated with single-fraction, fiducial-based SBRT, a large left-sided metastasis treated with fractionated SBRT under magnetic resonance imaging guidance, and a case of bilateral metastases, which emphasizes the potential risk of adrenal insufficiency. We also address the limited evidence available regarding the management of primary adrenal gland tumors with SBRT.

RESULTS: SBRT is an effective treatment modality for most adrenal tumors, demonstrating a favorable safety profile. Thoughtful treatment planning and an understanding of potential pitfalls, limitations, and risks are essential to ensure the appropriate use of SBRT.

CONCLUSIONS: This case-based guide and review provides a comprehensive overview of SBRT for treating adrenal tumors, specifically metastases. We present and discuss clinical cases and relevant literature, highlighting key considerations specific to adrenal SBRT.

RevDate: 2025-07-14
CmpDate: 2025-07-14

Tsai CS, Szewczyk W, Drerup M, et al (2025)

A Personalized, Texting-Based Conversational Agent to Address Sleep Disturbance in Individuals Who Have Survived Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Pilot Waitlist Randomized Controlled Trial.

JMIR research protocols, 14:e62712 pii:v14i1e62712.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is one of the most common health concerns reported by individuals who have survived breast cancer (BC) and is associated with poor quality of life (QoL) and greater mortality after treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) has shown efficacy for improving sleep and QoL for this population. Considered the gold standard for insomnia treatment, CBTi can be delivered remotely, including via digital intervention. Despite the potential for wider dissemination of CBTi via digital means, these modalities have unique challenges, including technology barriers and poor adherence. We developed a conversational agent (CA) to deliver CBTi via a SMS text messaging intervention, supported by mobile-ready web content. Named "Cecebot," this CA delivers sleep education, implements sleep compression, provides just-in-time interventions for sleep-disrupting behaviors, and includes enhanced support for physical activity (PA) beyond what is typically included in CBTi. This represents a novel modality for a CBTi and PA intervention among individuals who have survived BC.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to examine the safety and acceptability of the Cecebot intervention, developed by an academic partnership between Dr Reding's research team and Moby Inc, for individuals who have survived BC and experience symptoms of insomnia, and to explore its efficacy.

METHODS: This trial will recruit 60 individuals who have survived BC and are experiencing moderate to severe sleep disturbance. Participants will be assigned to the Cecebot intervention or waitlist control group at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group will receive the Cecebot intervention during weeks 1-6 of the study, while the waitlist control condition will receive the Cecebot intervention during weeks 6-12. The Cecebot intervention uses SMS text messaging technology paired with a Fitbit. Participants will be assessed at baseline, week 6, and week 12. Measurements will include feasibility and acceptability and will explore the effect of the Cecebot intervention. Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment, enrollment, and retention rates. Acceptability will be evaluated using a satisfaction survey and open-ended responses. Quantitative analysis, such as t test, Fisher exact tests, and generalized linear models, will be used to assess feasibility, baseline group differences, and the outcomes of the intervention.

RESULTS: Recruitment of participants began in Fall 2024. The completion of data collection is anticipated to be by Fall 2025.

CONCLUSIONS: The study results will give insight into the potential for an SMS text messaging-based CA to improve sleep in individuals who have survived BC and experience sleep disturbances.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06392789; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06392789.

DERR1-10.2196/62712.

RevDate: 2025-07-15

Ishida T, Mercoli J, Heck AM, et al (2025)

Differentiation latency, cell division symmetry, and dormancy signatures define fetal liver HSCs at single cell resolution.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.

Decoding the gene regulatory mechanisms and signaling interactions that orchestrate the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during their expansion in the fetal liver (FL) could unlock novel therapeutic strategies to expand transplantable HSCs, a long-standing challenge. Here, to explore intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of FL-HSC self-renewal at the single cell level, we engineered a culture platform designed to recapitulate the FL endothelial niche, which supports the ex vivo amplification of serially engraftable HSCs. Leveraging this platform in combination with single cell index flow cytometry, live imaging, serial transplantation assays, and single cell RNA-sequencing, we uncovered previously unrecognized heterogeneity within immunophenotypically defined FL-HSCs. Specifically, we demonstrated that differentiation latency, symmetric cell divisions, and transcriptional signatures of biosynthetic dormancy and lipid metabolism are distinguishing properties of rare FL-HSCs capable of serial, long-term multilineage hematopoietic reconstitution. Our findings support a paradigm in which intrinsic programs and extrinsic signals combinatorially facilitate the symmetric self-renewal and expansion of nascent HSCs in the FL niche while delaying their active participation in hematopoiesis. Additionally, our study provides a valuable resource for future investigations into the intrinsic and niche-derived signaling pathways that govern FL-HSC self-renewal.

RevDate: 2025-07-14
CmpDate: 2025-07-14

McGrosky A, Luke A, Arab L, et al (2025)

Energy expenditure and obesity across the economic spectrum.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(29):e2420902122.

Global economic development has been associated with an increased prevalence of obesity and related health problems. Increased caloric intake and reduced energy expenditure are both cited as development-related contributors to the obesity crisis, but their relative importance remains unresolved. Here, we examine energy expenditure and two measures of obesity (body fat percentage and body mass index, BMI) for 4,213 adults from 34 populations across six continents and a wide range of lifestyles and economies, including hunter-gatherer, pastoralist, farming, and industrialized populations. Economic development was positively associated with greater body mass, BMI, and body fat, but also with greater total, basal, and activity energy expenditure. Body size-adjusted total and basal energy expenditures both decreased approximately 6 to 11% with increasing economic development, but were highly variable among populations and did not correspond closely with lifestyle. Body size-adjusted total energy expenditure was negatively, but weakly, associated with measures of obesity, accounting for roughly one-tenth of the elevated body fat percentage and BMI associated with economic development. In contrast, estimated energy intake was greater in economically developed populations, and in populations with available data (n = 25), the percentage of ultraprocessed food in the diet was associated with body fat percentage, suggesting that dietary intake plays a far greater role than reduced energy expenditure in obesity related to economic development.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Kanaya AM, GL Anderson (2025)

MOSAAIC to Capture Key Measures of Aging Across the Lifespan.

JAMA internal medicine pii:2836531 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Shadman M, Brown JR, Williams R, et al (2025)

Efficacy of zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R/R CLL): a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC).

Therapeutic advances in medical oncology, 17:17588359251340554.

BACKGROUND: There are no head-to-head studies comparing the efficacy of the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, zanubrutinib and acalabrutinib, in relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (R/R CLL).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative efficacy of zanubrutinib and acalabrutinib in R/R CLL using indirect treatment comparison.

DESIGN: An unanchored matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) was performed.

METHODS: Individual patient-level data from ALPINE (zanubrutinib) were reweighted using prognostic/effect-modifying variables to match aggregate data from ASCEND (acalabrutinib). MAIC outcomes included investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS-INV), overall survival (OS), and complete response (CR).

RESULTS: Post-matching, PFS-INV was improved significantly for zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.68 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46-0.99); p = 0.0448) and OS showed a trend toward improvement for zanubrutinib (HR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.35-1.02, p = 0.0575). CR was significantly higher for zanubrutinib versus acalabrutinib (odds ratio = 2.90 (95% CI: 1.13-7.43); p = 0.0270).

CONCLUSION: Zanubrutinib was associated with a significant PFS-INV and CR advantage over acalabrutinib, with a trend toward improvement in OS.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Zhang T, Ameen S, Ghosh S, et al (2025)

Enhanced extracellular matrix remodeling due to embedded spheroid fluidization.

New journal of physics, 27(7):073301.

Embedding a collective of tumor cells, i.e. a tumor spheroid, in a fibrous environment, such as a collagen network, provides an essential in vitro platform to investigate the biophysical mechanisms of tumor invasion. To predict new mechanisms, we develop a three-dimensional computational model of an embedded spheroid using a vertex model, with cells represented as deformable polyhedrons, mechanically coupled to a fiber network via active linker springs. As the linker springs actively contract, the fiber network remodels. As we tune the rheology of the spheroid and the fiber network stiffness, we find that both factors affect the remodeling of the fiber network with fluid-like spheroids densifying and radially realigning the fiber network more on average than solid-like spheroids but only for a range of intermediate fiber network stiffnesses. Our predictions are supported by experimental studies comparing non-tumorigenic MCF10A spheroids and malignant MDA-MB-231 spheroids embedded in collagen networks. The spheroid rheology-dependent effects are the result of cellular motility generating spheroid shape fluctuations. These shape fluctuations lead to emergent feedback between the spheroid and the fiber network to further remodel the fiber network. This emergent feedback occurs only at intermediate fiber network stiffness since at low fiber network stiffness, the mechanical response of the coupled system is dominated by the spheroid and for high fiber network stiffness, the mechanical response is dominated by the fiber network. We are therefore able to quantify the regime of optimal spheroid-fiber network mechanical reciprocity. Our results uncover intricate morphological-mechanical interplay between an embedded spheroid and its surrounding fiber network with both spheroid contractile strength and spheroid shape fluctuations playing important roles in the pre-invasion stages of tumor invasion.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Krawczuk P, Fox ZR, Petkov V, et al (2025)

Large-scale deep learning for metastasis detection in pathology reports.

JAMIA open, 8(4):ooaf070.

OBJECTIVES: No existing algorithm can reliably identify metastasis from pathology reports across multiple cancer types and the entire US population. In this study, we develop a deep learning model that automatically detects patients with metastatic cancer by using pathology reports from many laboratories and of multiple cancer types.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We use 60 471 unstructured pathology reports from 4 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries. The reports were coded into 1 of 3 labels: metastasis negative, metastases positive, or metastasis undetermined. We utilize a task-specific deep neural network trained from scratch and compare its performance with a widely used large language model (LLM).

RESULTS: Our deep learning architecture trained on task-specific data outperforms a general-purpose LLM, with a recall of 0.894 compared to 0.824. We quantified model uncertainty and used it to defer reports for human review. We found that retaining 72.9% of reports increased recall from 0.894 to 0.969.

DISCUSSION: A smaller deep learning architecture trained on task-specific data outperforms a general LLM. Equally critical to model performance is the incorporation of uncertainty quantification, achieved here through an abstention mechanism.

CONCLUSIONS: This study's finding demonstrate the feasibility of developing algorithms to automatically identify metastatic cancer cases from unstructured pathology reports.

RevDate: 2025-07-12

Smith D, Fleming T, Gianella S, et al (2025)

Salvaging information from paused or stopped clinical studies.

RevDate: 2025-07-11

Apperley JF, Milojkovic D, Cross NCP, et al (2025)

2025 European LeukemiaNet recommendations for the management of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Leukemia [Epub ahead of print].

In this 5th version of the European LeukemiaNet guidance for adult patients, there are important changes in several areas of management based on evidence available since 2020, including the World Health Organisation's reclassification of CML as a biphasic disease. Previous advice to switch the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) on failure of molecular milestones, is modified to better account for individual patient circumstances. Our recommendations are summarized in tables designed to be read in conjunction with the text which offers justification and additional advice. We describe decision-making for first-line treatment, both in available drugs and their initial dosing. Similarly we elaborate on dose reduction rather than drug switching to manage toxicities and discuss treatment sequencing. Data have matured for the outcome of treatment discontinuation and for management of parenting for both men and women. We acknowledge that most patients will remain on treatment for many years and emphasize the needs to minimize side effects, manage co-morbidities and optimize quality of life. Recent advances in allogeneic stem cell transplantation have broadened access to alternative donors, and lessened limitations of age and co-morbidities such that transplant remains a valuable option for patients for whom long-term disease control is not achieved through TKI therapy.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Ellison ST, Hayman I, Derr K, et al (2025)

Limitations of acyclovir and identification of potent HSV antivirals using 3D bioprinted human skin equivalents.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection has worldwide public health concerns and lifelong medical impacts. The standard therapy, acyclovir, has limited efficacy in preventing HSV subclinical virus shedding, and drug resistance occurs in immunocompromised patients, highlighting the need for novel therapeutics. HSV manifests in the skin and mucosal epithelium. Here, we found acyclovir significantly less effective in skin-derived keratinocytes than donor-matched fibroblasts. To recapitulate in vivo tissue architecture, we 3D bioprinted human skin equivalents (HSE) in a 96-well plate format amenable for antiviral screening and preclinical testing. We screened a library of 738 compounds with broad targets and mechanisms of action and identified potent antivirals, including 23 known or experimental HSV treatments, validating the translational relevance of our assay. Unlike acyclovir, antivirals against HSV helicase/primase or host replication pathways displayed similar potency across cell types and donor sources in 2D and 3D models. Our 3D bioprinted platform allowed for integrating patient-derived cells and incorporating genetic variability early in drug development. The reduced potency in keratinocytes helps explain the limited benefit acyclovir and its congeners play in reducing sexual transmission. These data indicate that the 3D bioprinted HSE assay platform provides a more physiologically relevant approach to identifying potential antivirals for HSV.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Chang YH, Bresnahan ST, Head ST, et al (2025)

Isoform-level analyses of 6 cancers uncover extensive genetic risk mechanisms undetected at the gene-level.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences.

Integrating genome-wide association study (GWAS) and transcriptomic datasets can help identify mediators for genetic risk of cancer. Traditional methods often are insufficient as they rely on total gene expression measures and overlook alternative splicing, which generates different transcript-isoforms with potentially distinct effects. Here, we integrate multi-tissue isoform expression data from the Genotype Tissue-Expression Project with GWAS summary statistics (all N > 20,000 cases) to identify isoform- and gene-level associations with six cancers (breast, endometrial, colorectal, lung, ovarian, prostate) and six related cancer subtype classifications (N = 12 total). Directly modeling isoforms using transcriptome-wide association studies (isoTWAS) significantly improves discovery of genetic associations compared to gene-level approaches, identifying 164% more significant associations (6,163 vs. 2,336) with isoTWAS-prioritized genes enriched 4-fold for evolutionarily-constrained genes. isoTWAS tags transcriptomic associations at 52% more independent GWAS loci across the six cancers. Isoform expression mediates an estimated 63% greater proportion of cancer risk SNP heritability compared to gene expression. We highlight several isoTWAS associations that demonstrate GWAS colocalization at the isoform level but not at the gene level, including CLPTM1L (lung cancer), LAMC1 (colorectal), and BABAM1 (breast). These results underscore the importance of modeling isoforms to maximize discovery of genetic risk mechanisms for cancers.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Frank S, Persse T, Coleman I, et al (2025)

Molecular consequences of acute versus chronic CDK12 loss in prostate carcinoma nominates distinct therapeutic strategies.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.

Genomic loss of the transcriptional kinase CDK12 occurs in ~6% of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPC) and correlates with poor patient outcomes. Prior studies demonstrate that acute CDK12 loss confers a homologous recombination (HR) deficiency (HRd) phenotype via premature intronic polyadenylation (IPA) of key HR pathway genes, including ATM. However, mCRPC patients have not demonstrated benefit from therapies that exploit HRd such as inhibitors of polyADP ribose polymerase (PARP). Based on this discordance, we sought to test the hypothesis that an HRd phenotype is primarily a consequence of acute CDK12 loss and the effect is greatly diminished in prostate cancers adapted to CDK12 loss. Analyses of whole genome sequences (WGS) and RNA sequences (RNAseq) of human mCRPCs determined that tumors with biallelic CDK12 alterations (CDK12 [BAL]) lack genomic scar signatures indicative of HRd, despite carrying bi-allelic loss and the appearance of the hallmark tandem-duplicator phenotype (TDP). Experiments confirmed that acute CDK12 inhibition resulted in aberrant polyadenylation and downregulation of long genes (including BRCA1 and BRCA2) but such effects were modest or absent in tumors adapted to chronic CDK12 [BAL] . One key exception was ATM, which did retain transcript shortening and reduced protein expression in the adapted CDK12 [BAL] models. However, CDK12 [BAL] cells demonstrated intact HR as measured by RAD51 foci formation following irradiation. CDK12 [BAL] cells showed a vulnerability to targeting of CDK13 by sgRNA or CDK12/13 inhibitors and in vivo treatment of prostate cancer xenograft lines showed that tumors with CDK12 [BAL] responded to the CDK12/13 inhibitor SR4835, while CDK12-intact lines did not. Collectively, these studies show that aberrant polyadenylation and long HR gene downregulation is primarily a consequence of acute CDK12 deficiency, which is largely compensated for in cells that have adapted to CDK12 loss. These results provide an explanation for why PARPi monotherapy has thus far failed to consistently benefit patients with CDK12 alterations, though alternate therapies that target CDK13 or transcription are candidates for future research and testing.

RevDate: 2025-07-14

Gao Y, AF Feder (2025)

Detecting branching rate heterogeneity with tree balance statistics in lineage tracing trees.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology.

Understanding variation in cellular growth rates among cells in tumors is crucial for predicting cancer progression and interpreting tumor-derived genetic data. Advances in lineage tracing technologies enable the reconstruction of high-resolution, single-cell phylogenies of cancer cell populations, but methods to detect cellular growth rate differences on these phylogenies remain limited. Tree balance statistics offer a way forward, but it is unknown if and how these statistics are distorted when applied to phylogenetic reconstructions built from lineage tracing data, and if these distortions limit the utility of tree balance statistics to distinguish between evolutionary scenarios characterized by variable or homogeneous cellular growth rates. Here, we examined two tree balance statistics, J 1 and the Sackin index, and benchmarked their performance in distinguishing lineage tracing trees derived from populations with and without variable cellular growth rates. We found that when tumor population sizes and lineage tracing editing rates are approximately known and in favorable ranges, J 1 detects departures from homogenous growth rates just as well on lineage tracing trees as on true genealogical trees, while the Sackin index loses most of its power even under the most favorable conditions. We applied our J 1 -based test to data derived from cancer lineage tracing experiments and found widespread signals of growth rate heterogeneity in murine autochthonous lung cancers, and lung and PDAC xenograft experiments in mice. Our results demonstrate the potential and challenges of tree balance statistics in analyzing growth dynamics in lineage tracing data.

RevDate: 2025-07-11

Huang J, M Shadman (2025)

First-line Therapy: Time-Limited Venetoclax Doublet Therapy.

Hematology/oncology clinics of North America pii:S0889-8588(25)00079-6 [Epub ahead of print].

Studies examining venetoclax in combination with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies and covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi) demonstrated a progression-free survival and in some cases overall survival benefit over chemoimmunotherapy. It is currently unclear what is the most optimal combination partner for a B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 inhibitor (BCL2i). We are eagerly awaiting results from studies to determine the most effective BCL2i and BTKi combination for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma given the development of second-generation drugs.

RevDate: 2025-07-11

Chiou SH, D Tseng (2025)

Blood TCRs go to town with early NPC detection.

Cancer cell pii:S1535-6108(25)00266-1 [Epub ahead of print].

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Zhang et al. report an innovative approach utilizing patients' blood T cell receptor (TCR) sequences for the early detection of nasopharyngeal cancer. This study highlights the potential of harnessing highly public TCRs in the peripheral blood as biomarkers for virally associated malignancies.

RevDate: 2025-07-11

Koric A, Chang CE, Lee YA, et al (2025)

Incident depression after breast cancer among older Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women.

JNCI cancer spectrum pii:8196819 [Epub ahead of print].

INTRODUCTION: Longitudinal studies focusing on the mental health of older (≥66 years) Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (ANHPI) women diagnosed with breast cancer are limited. We evaluated incident depression after breast cancer among specific groups of older ANHPI compared with older non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. Predictors of depression and the risk of death following early onset of depression after breast cancer were also evaluated.

METHODS: A cohort of 26,776 older ANHPI women in the US diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000-2017 was identified from the SEER-Medicare linked claims. There were 6,694 older ANHPI and 20,082 older NHW women diagnosed with breast cancer. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were assessed using Cox proportional hazards model with 99% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate incident depression and death among older ANHPI compared with age-matched NHW counterparts.

RESULTS: Compared with older NHW women with breast cancer, older Japanese (HR = 0.43, 99%CI 0.31, 0.66), Chinese (HR = 0.46, 99%CI 0.31, 0.67), Filipino (HR = 0.43, 99%CI 0.30, 0.60), and Asian Indian/Pakistani women (HR = 0.49, 99%CI 0.28, 0.84) had a lower risk of depression overall and within 5 years of follow-up; lower risk persisted for Japanese and Chinese women >5 years. ANHPI breast cancer patients with early onset of depression had a higher risk of death (HR = 1.46, 99%CI 1.30, 1.65) compared to those without depression.

CONCLUSION: Compared with older NHW women, older ANHPI women had a lower incidence of depression, although disentangling the stigma surrounding depression by race and ethnicity remains challenging.

RevDate: 2025-07-12

Chakraborty H, Sun Q, Bhupathiraju SN, et al (2025)

The Dietary Biomarkers Development Consortium: An Initiative for Discovery and Validation of Dietary Biomarkers for Precision Nutrition.

Current developments in nutrition, 9(5):107435.

UNLABELLED: Diet is a complex exposure that affects health across the lifespan. Objective biomarkers that can reliably reflect intake of nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns with sufficient accuracy are an important tool for assessing associations of diet with health outcomes. Advances in metabolomics, coupled with feeding trials and high-dimensional bioinformatics analyses, pave the way for discovering compounds that can serve as sensitive and specific biomarkers of dietary exposures. The Dietary Biomarkers Development Consortium (DBDC) is leading the first major effort to improve dietary assessment through the discovery and validation of biomarkers for foods commonly consumed in the United States diet. To achieve this goal, a 3-phase approach will be implemented to identify, evaluate, and validate food biomarkers. In phase 1, 3 controlled feeding trial designs will be implemented by administering test foods in prespecified amounts to healthy participants, followed by metabolomic profiling of blood and urine specimens collected during the feeding trials to identify candidate compounds. Data from these studies will characterize the pharmacokinetic parameters of candidate biomarkers associated with specific foods. In phase 2, the ability of candidate biomarkers to identify individuals eating the biomarker-associated foods will be evaluated using controlled feeding studies of various dietary patterns. In phase 3, the validity of candidate biomarkers to predict recent and habitual consumption of specific test foods will be evaluated in independent observational settings. Data generated during all study phases will be archived in a publicly accessible database as a resource for the research community. The DBDC aims to significantly expand the list of validated biomarkers of intake for foods consumed in the United States diet, which can help advance understanding of how diet influences human health. This manuscript discusses the DBDC's organizational infrastructure, study design, laboratory methods, and strategies for dietary biomarker discovery and validation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This trial was registered at Phase 1 Seattle Dietary Biomarkers Development Center (P1-SDBDC) as NCT05580653, at Fruit and Vegetable Biomarker Discovery (UCD-DBDC) as NCT05621863, and at Dietary Biomarkers Intervention Core as NCT05616585.

RevDate: 2025-07-10

Cai Y, Johnson M, Haessler J, et al (2025)

Protein quantitative trait locus analysis in African American and non-Hispanic White individuals.

Genome biology, 26(1):200.

BACKGROUND: Substantial efforts have been dedicated to exploring the link between genetic regulation and the proteome, informing studies of complex trait mechanisms. Most of these efforts have been limited to populations of European ancestry.

RESULTS: We conduct an Olink protein quantitative trait locus (pQTL) analysis on 1245 proteins involving 1033 self-identified African American (AA) and 1764 non-Hispanic White (NHW) participants from the Women's Health Initiative and Framingham Heart Study. For replication of candidate pQTLs, we use data from 534 self-identified AA adults from the Jackson Heart Study and protein genome-wide association analysis statistics from the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, including 54,219 participants, of whom 931 are of African ancestry. In total, we identify and validate 5103 pQTLs (4496 or 88% cis- and 602 or 12% trans-pQTLs) for 983 proteins. Among these, 195 are previously unreported, with most (166 or 85%) identified in our AA sample, many of which were essentially monomorphic in European reference populations. Several of these newly identified African ancestry-specific pQTLs have been reported in ClinVar; our results suggest impact on circulating protein levels, potentially bolstering evidence for clinical significance. We identify a "cis pQTL hotspot" within the leukocyte receptor gene cluster on human chromosome 19q13.4. We also provide examples where a particular cis-pQTL, identified through conditional analysis, offers biological insights into an overlapping GWAS signal for disease susceptibility.

CONCLUSIONS: The identification of previously undescribed African ancestry-specific pQTLs contributes to understanding protein genetic regulation and highlights the significance of proteomic analysis in diverse populations.

RevDate: 2025-07-10

Zheng C, Casjens SR, Davidson AR, et al (2025)

Lambdoid phages with abundant Chi recombination hotspots reflect diverse viral strategies for recombination-dependent growth.

Genome research pii:gr.280248.124 [Epub ahead of print].

Many phages encode recombination-mediating enzymes, but characterization of their roles in phage lifecycles is limited, and their impact on phage replication is controversial. To address these issues, we have searched for phages whose growth is impacted by the major recombination-promoting helicase-nuclease of Escherichia coli, the RecBCD enzyme. Although no phages inhibited by RecBCD are identified, growth of a newly isolated phage, named LLS, is enhanced by RecBCD. LLS's genome sequence reveals it is related to bacteriophage λ but encodes no recombination-promoting (Rec) proteins or associated RecBCD inhibitor. However, it contains an unexpectedly high number of Chi sites, activators of RecBCD-dependent recombination. Through analysis of 325 genomes of phages related to λ (lambdoid phages), we have found 71 other phage genomes that encode no Rec proteins but mostly possess large numbers of Chi sites. Conversely, phages encoding Rec proteins and a RecBCD inhibitor (collectively a Rec module) mostly lack Chi sites. Lambdoid phages of both diverse enteric bacteria and a pseudomonad have these properties. For this study, we thoroughly analyze the Rec modules of 246 lambdoid phage genomes. These analyses reveal a remarkable heterogeneity of Rec module protein types, both in sequence and in function, and allow us to identify phages that do not contain Rec modules. We conclude that phages lacking their own recombination systems have compensated by becoming enriched in Chi sites, enabling them to use the host's RecBCD to fulfill the requirement for recombination to efficiently replicate. This study highlights the importance of recombination for phage survival and the diversity of strategies to achieve it.

RevDate: 2025-07-10

Parnes M, Gonzalez E, Tran N, et al (2025)

Adherence to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Behavioral Health in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the United States.

Journal of physical activity & health [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a 24-hour disorder that both impacts, and, is impacted by, daily activity and sleep. Children with ADHD are less likely to meet recommended 24-hour movement guidelines (ie, on average 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity and several hours of light activity per day, less than 2 h of screen time, and 9-11 h of sleep). The current study examined associations between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines with ADHD symptoms, sleep problems, and media use.

METHODS: Accelerometer data measured physical activity and sleep among a sample of 93 children with ADHD (mean age = 8.10, SDage = 1.37, 58.9% male). Parent-report measures assessed ADHD symptoms, sleep difficulties, and media use. Multivariate analysis of covariance analyses explored associations between meeting 24-hour movement guidelines and outcomes. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified unique combinations of 24-hour movement guideline adherence. Associations were examined between classes and outcomes.

RESULTS: Overall, 41.5% of children met physical activity guidelines, 23.4% met sedentary behavior guidelines, and 45.7% met sleep guidelines. Multivariate analysis of covariance analyses found that meeting more guidelines was associated with less sleep difficulties and problematic media use. LCA revealed 2 classes: Hypoactive children who were unlikely to meet activity guidelines and Work Hard, Play Hard children who were likely to meet activity and sleep guidelines. Children in the Work Hard, Play Hard class had less bedtime resistance compared with the Hypoactive class.

CONCLUSION: Findings have implications for clinicians and caregivers supporting children with ADHD to take a holistic approach to improve health behaviors throughout the whole day.

RevDate: 2025-07-10

Dima D, Logue JM, Waqar SHB, et al (2025)

Cytopenias and infections following ciltacabtagene autoleucel in heavily-pretreated relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Haematologica [Epub ahead of print].

Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) was FDA-approved in February 2022 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma after 4 lines of therapy. On CARTITUDE-1 trial, grade ≥3 cytopenias and infections were common. Herein, we sought to characterize cytopenias and infections after cilta-cel infusion in the standard-of-care setting. This multicenter retrospective study included 105 patients who received cilta-cel; 91 reached day-90 and 49 reached day-180 follow-up. Grade ≥3 cytopenia was present among 52% of patients on day-30, and 24% of patients on day-90. Based on the newer immune effector cell-associated hematotoxicity (ICAHT) grading for neutropenia severity, 11 patients (10%) experienced grade ≥3 early ICAHT in the first 30 days, while only 3 (3.3%) experienced grade ≥3 late ICAHT after day-30. On univariate analysis, any grade thrombocytopenia at apheresis was associated with grade ≥3 cytopenia at both days 30 and 90. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was administered to 65%, transfusion support to 38%, thrombopoietin agonists to 10%, intravenous immunoglobulin to 52%, and CD34+ stem cell boosts to 9.5% of patients. Infections occurred in 49% of patients and were severe in 32%. Earlier infections in the first 30 days were equally bacterial (42%) and viral (42%). Later infections between days 31-100 and after day 100 were mostly viral (59% and 60%), with only 32% and 12% being grade ≥3 at each time period. On univariate analysis, worse ECOG performance status at lymphodepletion, higher maximum grade of CRS, delayed neurotoxicity, steroid and anakinra use, and lower IgA levels at day 90 were associated with severe infections.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Rosenthal EA, Wei WQ, Luo Y, et al (2025)

Phenome-wide association study identifies multiple traits associated with a polygenic risk score for colorectal cancer.

Human genomics, 19(1):77 pii:10.1186/s40246-025-00791-0.

BACKGROUND: Many factors, including environmental and genetic variables, contribute to Colorectal Cancer (CRC) risk. The genetic components of risk can be divided into monogenic and polygenic factors. Just as monogenic factors can increase risk for more than one condition, polygenic factors may also underlie multiple phenotypes, including behavioral traits. In order to understand the biology of CRC risk better, it is important to understand the shared polygenic genetic architecture contributing to CRC risk and other phenotypes, including CRC associated risk factors.

METHODS: We investigated potential shared genetics by performing a Phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) with a multi-ancestry CRC polygenic risk score (PRS). The discovery cohort (N = 426,464) consisted of ancestrally diverse participants from the United Kingdom Biobank. The replication cohort (N = 87,271) consisted of ancestrally diverse participants from the electronic Medical Records and Genomics Network phase 3. We used a mixed-effects model to adjust for the presence of related individuals. To preserve power, we limited the number of tests by restricting analysis to ancestor phecodes derived from the electronic health record (EHR) that were not likely to be a result of CRC or its treatment.

RESULTS: We discovered and replicated associations between the CRC PRS and breast cancer, prostate cancer, obesity, smoking and alcohol use (discovery p < 1.1e-4; replication p < 0.0019). The association between CRC risk and prostate cancer may be a novel finding, whereas the association with breast cancer has been previously observed using orthogonal methods. The association between CRC risk and behavioral risk factors corroborate previous studies, also using orthogonal methods, and may reveal potential prevention or treatment strategies.

CONCLUSIONS: As these results corroborate findings from other studies using orthogonal methods, we demonstrate that a CRC PRS can be used as a proxy for genetic risk for CRC when investigating shared genetics between CRC and other phenotypes. Further study of the relationship between PRS from multiple traits with EHR data may reveal additional shared genetic factors. Ultimately, understanding these underlying genetic correlations may identify prevention and treatment strategies for CRC.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Tortorici MA, Choi A, Gibson CA, et al (2025)

Loss of FCoV-23 spike domain 0 enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics.

Nature [Epub ahead of print].

The ability of coronaviruses to recombine and cross species barriers affects human and animal health globally and is a pandemic threat[1,2]. FCoV-23 is a recently emerged, highly pathogenic recombinant coronavirus responsible for a widespread outbreak of feline infectious peritonitis. Here we report cryogenic electron microscopy structures of two FCoV-23 spike isoforms that correspond to the in-host loss of domain 0 observed in clinical samples. The loss of domain 0 markedly enhances the fusogenicity and kinetics of entry into cells and possibly enables biotype switching and lethality. We show that FCoV-23 can use several aminopeptidase N orthologues as receptors and reveal the molecular determinants of receptor species tropism, including a glycan that modulates human receptor engagement. We define antigenic relationships among alphacoronaviruses that infect humans and other mammalian species and identify a cross-reactive alphacoronavirus monoclonal antibody that inhibits FCoV-23 entry. Our results pave the way for the development of vaccines and therapeutics that target this highly pathogenic virus.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Chari ST, Wu B, Lopez C, et al (2025)

RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER IN GLYCEMICALLY DEFINED NEW-ONSET DIABETES: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY.

Gastroenterology pii:S0016-5085(25)05730-0 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Increased 3-year incidence of pancreatic cancer following new-onset diabetes (NOD) observed in retrospective studies needs prospec4ive validation. It is unknown if incidence varies by race/ethnicity.

METHODS: In a prospective, observational study using active real-time surveillance of electronic health records we identified 18,838 adults >50 years of age with NOD defined by glycemic criteria (GNOD). In this interim analysis, we report 3-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of proportion diagnosed with pancreatic cancer following GNOD (absolute incidence (95% Confidence Intervals)) and associated Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) by race/ethnicity; overall 3-year incidence of pancreatic cancer adjusting for racial distribution of incident diabetes in the United States; and interval between GNOD and pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

RESULTS: During median follow-up of 2.3 years, 82 pancreatic cancers have been diagnosed (60% male, mean age 71±8 years). The 3-year estimates for proportion diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (95% CI) and associated SIR (95% CI) by race/ethnicity were: non-Hispanic Whites (n=6,518) 0.84% (CI: 0.60, 1.07) (SIR 6.4 (CI: 4.8, 8.4)); Hispanics (n=5,984) 0.40% (0.20, 0.60) (SIR 4.2 (2.6, 6.3)); African Americans (n=2,192) 0.37% (0.07, 0.67) (SIR 2.4 (1.0, 5.0), and Asian/Pacific Islander (n=3,360) 0.22% (.06, 0.39) (SIR 3.0 (1.4, 6.0). Overall, race-adjusted 3-year pancreatic cancer incidence was 0.62%. On average GNOD occurred 8 months prior to clinical diagnosis; 0-4 months in 30.5%, 4-12 months in 31.3%, 12-24 months in 19.5%, and 24-36 months in 18.7%.

CONCLUSIONS: Glycemically defined new-onset diabetes, identifiable in real-time using active surveillance of electronic health records, is associated with a high 3-year incidence of pancreatic cancer with marked racial/ethnic differences. Longer term risk needs further study.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Ramachandran D, Wang X, Laisk T, et al (2025)

GWAS meta-analysis identifies five susceptibility loci for endometrial cancer.

EBioMedicine, 118:105830 pii:S2352-3964(25)00274-9 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in high-income countries. In addition to environmental risk factors, genetic predisposition contributes towards endometrial cancer development but is still incompletely defined.

METHODS: Building on genome-wide association studies (GWASs) by the Endometrial Cancer Association Consortium, we conducted a GWAS meta-analysis of 17,278 endometrial cancer cases and 289,180 controls, incorporating biobank samples from the UK, Finland, Estonia and Japan.

FINDINGS: GWAS analysis identified five additional risk loci (3p25.2, 3q25.2, 6q22.31, 12q21.2, and 17q24.2). Corresponding gene-based analyses supported findings for three of the five loci, at NAV3 (12q21.2), PPARG (3p25.2), and BPTF (17q24.2), as well as two additional candidate risk regions at ATF7IP2 (16p13.2-p13.13) and RPP21 (6p22.1). Validation genotyping in further independent case-control series replicated the most significant locus at 12q21.2 and corroborated risk variants located intronic to NAV3, the gene for Neuron Navigator 3. Downregulation of NAV3 in endometrial cell lines accelerated cell division and wound healing capacity whereas NAV3 overexpression reduced cell survival and increased cell death, indicating that NAV3 acts as a tumour suppressor in endometrial cells.

INTERPRETATION: Our large study extends the number of genome-wide significant risk loci identified for endometrial carcinoma by about one-third and proposes a role of NAV3 as a tumour suppressor in this common cancer.

FUNDING: This study was mainly supported by funding from the Wilhelm Sander Foundation, Germany, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia. A complete list of funding organisations is provided in the acknowledgements.

RevDate: 2025-07-09
CmpDate: 2025-07-09

Anbil S, Seewald NJ, Chiorean EG, et al (2025)

LODESTAR: A Single-Arm Phase II Study of Rucaparib in Solid Tumors With Pathogenic Germline or Somatic Variants in Homologous Recombination Repair Genes.

JCO precision oncology, 9:e2500090.

PURPOSE: To explore poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor utility across solid tumors and identify biomarkers that predict sensitivity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: This single-arm phase II study assessed rucaparib monotherapy in patients with solid tumors and pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51C, and RAD51D (cohort A) or BARD1, BRIP1, FANCA, NBN, and RAD51B (cohort B). The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR) in cohort A. Secondary end points included disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. A scar-based homologous recombination deficiency signature (HRDsig) and platinum sensitivity status were explored post hoc.

RESULTS: Fifty-one patients in cohort A and 12 in cohort B were evaluable for efficacy. ORR of cohort A was 18% (95% CI, 10 to 30). A significantly higher ORR was observed with HRDsig+ tumors compared with HRDsig- tumors (32%; 95% CI, 15 to 54 v 0%; 95% CI, 0 to 14; P < .01). In the entire study population, DCR was 65% (95% CI, 53 to 76), median PFS (mPFS) 5.5 months (95% CI, 3.68 to 7.82), and median OS 12.1 months (95% CI, 10.6 to inferred). PFS and hazard of death from any cause was significantly better for platinum-sensitive tumors (mPFS: 7.8 months v 3.5 months; P = .02; hazard ratio, 0.11 [95% CI, 0.02 to 0.55]). Tumor histology was not independently predictive of outcome. Tumors with PVs in cohort A genes were more likely to be HRDsig+ than tumors with PVs in cohort B genes. Analysis of a large commercial database showed that in noncanonical tumors with BRCA PVs, 30.2% were HRDsig+.

CONCLUSION: Rucaparib has activity in HRDsig+ solid tumors with PVs in homologous recombination repair genes, regardless of histology. Platinum sensitivity correlated with improved outcomes.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Raychaudhuri R, Lin DW, RB Montgomery (2025)

Complexity of Prostate Cancer-Reply.

JAMA pii:2836254 [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Han C, Zhang Z, Crosse EI, et al (2025)

An isoform-specific RUNX1C-BTG2 axis governs AML quiescence and chemoresistance.

Blood cancer discovery pii:763512 [Epub ahead of print].

Aberrant levels or structures of RNA isoforms are a hallmark of many cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), yet its role in AML chemoresistance remains unclear. We conducted a paired analysis of RNA isoform changes in AML patients before therapy and at relapse post-chemotherapy, identifying and identified intragenic DNA methylation at the proximal promoter of the transcription factor RUNX1, which resulted in elevated expression of the long isoform RUNX1C through its alternative distal promoter. The N-terminal region of RUNX1C orchestrated an isoform-specific transcriptional program that promoted chemoresistance, with its direct target BTG2 playing a role in chemotherapy resistance. BTG2 promoted ribosomal RNA deadenylation, resulting in decreased mRNA expression and stability. Deletion of ribosomal RNA's increased cellular quiescence. Moreover, RNA-based targeting of RUNX1C reactivated quiescent leukemia cells and enhanced chemotherapy efficacy. These findings delineate an isoform-specific transcriptional circuit that governs chemotherapy response, providing a potential therapeutic strategy to mitigate AML recurrence.

RevDate: 2025-07-09

Razzo BM, Midha S, Portuguese AJ, et al (2025)

Real-World Experience with Teclistamab for Relapsed/ Refractory Multiple Myeloma from the U.S. Myeloma Immunotherapy Consortium.

Blood cancer discovery pii:763462 [Epub ahead of print].

Teclistamab is an anti-CD3xBCMA bispecific antibody approved for use in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM). We undertook a retrospective study of post-approval, real-world outcomes with teclistamab in the U.S. MM Immunotherapy Consortium. Among 509 patients, 89% would have been ineligible for the MajesTEC-1 trial, primarily due to prior BCMA-directed therapy, cytopenias, or diminished performance status. Cytokine release syndrome occurred in 54% (1.4% grade ≥3) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome in 11% (2.2% grade ≥3) with no fatal events. Infections occurred in 42% and contributed to death in 5%. Partial response (PR) or better was achieved in 53% and very good PR (VGPR) or better in 45%. With 10.1 months median follow-up, estimated median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.8 months, and 12-month overall survival was 61%. Independent predictors of

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Simar SR, Tran TT, Rydell KB, et al (2025)

Clinical and Genomic Characterization of Recalcitrant Enterococcal Bacteremia: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study (VENOUS).

The Journal of infectious diseases pii:8193993 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Patients with recalcitrant enterococcal bloodstream infections are at greater risk of adverse outcomes. We identified patients in the 2016-2022 Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bacteremia Outcomes Study (VENOUS) cohort experiencing recalcitrant bloodstream infections for further clinical and genomic characterization.

METHODS: Bacteremia episodes were considered "persistent" if there was a lack of clearance on day four while receiving ≥ 48 hours of active therapy and recurrent if there was clearance during hospitalization with a subsequent positive culture (collectively, "recalcitrant" bacteremia). A matched comparison group of non-recalcitrant bacteremia patients was chosen in a 2:1 control:case ratio. Isolates were subjected to short- and long-read whole-genome sequencing. Hybrid assemblies were created using a custom pipeline.

FINDINGS: A total of 46 recalcitrant infections from 41 patients were identified. Patients with persistent bacteremia were more often admitted to the ICU upon admission relative to controls. E. faecalis strains causing persistent infections had a significantly higher proportion of genes associated with carbohydrate utilization relative to controls. Representation of functional groups associated with mutated genes was disparate between E. faecium and E. faecalis index and persistent isolates, suggesting species-specific adaptation.

DISCUSSION: Enterococcal isolates causing recalcitrant bacteremia were genomically diverse, indicating that strain-specific signatures are not drivers of persistence. However, comparisons of index vs. persistent isolates revealed that E. faecium may be genetically pre-adapted to cause persistent infection, and site-specific structural variation during infection suggests the role of differential gene expression in adaptation and persistence. This data lays groundwork for future studies to define signatures of enterococcal adaptation during bacteremia.

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-08

Li Z, Yang W, Wu G, et al (2025)

Inferring chromosome segregation error stage and crossover in trisomic disorders with application to Down syndrome.

Nature communications, 16(1):6316.

Errors in chromosome segregation during gametogenesis, such as nondisjunction (NDJ) errors, have severe consequences in human reproduction, and a better understanding of their etiology is of fundamental interest in genetics. Mapping NDJ errors to meiotic/mitotic stages typically requires proband-parent comparison, limiting its applicability. Herein, we develop Mis-segregation Error Identification through Hidden Markov Models (MeiHMM), a method for inferring NDJ error stage and crossover events based on only genomic data of trisomic probands. Guided by triallelic genotype/haplotype configurations, MeiHMM discerns the allelic origin at each locus, which informs NDJ error during gamete formation, without identifying the parental origin of the trisomy. In 152 Down syndrome (DS) cases, MeiHMM achieved an accuracy of 96.1% in classifying NDJ errors, with a sensitivity of 91.6% in crossover identification, compared to proband-parents trio analysis. 17% of Meiosis II errors were misclassified as Meiosis I, mainly due to small proximal crossover events. Applying MeiHMM to 509 children with DS-associated childhood leukemia, we demonstrate that NDJ error is associated with the age of disease onset, somatic genomic abnormalities, and prognosis. Thus, MeiHMM is an effective method for trisomic NDJ error classification and crossover identification that can be applied broadly to study the etiology of congenital aneuploidy conditions.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Farrell-Sherman A, de la Force N, Prator CA, et al (2025)

Antiviral Monocytes Increase Prior to Detectable HIV-1 Rebound Viremia.

The Journal of infectious diseases pii:8193933 [Epub ahead of print].

The persistence of HIV-1 proviruses in latently infected cells allows viremia to resume upon treatment cessation. To characterize the resulting immune response, we compare plasma proteomics and single-cell transcriptomics of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before, during, and after detectable plasma viremia. We observe unique transcriptional signatures prior to viral rebound including a significant increase in CD16++ monocytes with increased antiviral gene expression. Inflammatory proteins were identified in plasma after detectable rebound. Identifying early signals of imminent viral rebound after treatment cessation will aid in the development of strategies to prolong time to viral rebound and cure HIV-1.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Paatela EM, St Amant FG, Hamm DC, et al (2025)

A discrete region of the D4Z4 is sufficient to initiate epigenetic silencing.

Human molecular genetics pii:8193856 [Epub ahead of print].

The DUX4 transcription factor is briefly expressed in the early embryo and is epigenetically repressed in somatic tissues. Loss of epigenetic repression can result in the aberrant expression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle and can cause facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD). Multiple factors have been identified as necessary to maintain epigenetic silencing of DUX4 in skeletal muscle, but whether specific sequences at the DUX4 locus are sufficient for initiating epigenetic silencing has not been known. We cloned fragments of the D4Z4 macrosatellite repeat, the DNA region that encompasses the DUX4 retrogene, adjacent to a reporter driven by a constitutive promoter and identified a single fragment sufficient to epigenetically repress reporter gene expression. Previously identified repressors of DUX4 expression-SETDB1, ATF7IP, SIN3A/B, and LRIF1-were necessary for silencing activity and p38 inhibitors enhanced suppression. These findings identify a key regulatory sequence for D4Z4 epigenetic repression and establish a model system for mechanistic and discovery studies.

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-08

Chatterjee S, Rückert T, Martin I, et al (2025)

Gut microbiota-derived TMAVA is a modulator of acute CNS-GVHD.

The Journal of experimental medicine, 222(9):.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) can affect the central nervous system (CNS) through microglial activation and T cell infiltration, but the role of gut microbiota in CNS-aGVHD remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of microbiota in microglial activation during aGVHD using antibiotic-treated specific pathogen-free (SPF), germ-free (GF), and wildling mice. Antibiotic-mediated microbiota depletion led to infiltration of IFN-γ-producing T cells in the brain, activation of microglia via the TLR4/p38 MAPK pathway, and neurocognitive deficits in SPF aGVHD mice. Microglial depletion reversed the neurocognitive deficits. GF and wildling mice treated with antibiotics exhibited similar microglial activation after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Mechanistically, the bacteria-derived metabolite N,N,N-trimethyl-5-aminovaleric acid (TMAVA) was decreased in microglia following antibiotic treatment. TMAVA administration suppressed TLR4/p38 MAPK pathway activity in microglia and alleviated gut microbiota depletion-mediated neurocognitive deficits. Additionally, TMAVA abundance decreased in patient blood after allo-HCT and after GVHD onset. In summary, we identify TMAVA loss as a central causative factor for CNS-aGVHD, opening new perspectives for a metabolite-based therapy.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Baele G, Ji X, Hassler GW, et al (2025)

BEAST X for Bayesian phylogenetic, phylogeographic and phylodynamic inference.

Nature methods [Epub ahead of print].

Here we present the open-source and cross-platform BEAST X software that combines molecular phylogenetic reconstruction with complex trait evolution, divergence-time dating and coalescent demographics in an efficient statistical inference engine. BEAST X significantly advances the flexibility and scalability of evolutionary models supported. Novel clock and substitution models leverage a large variety of evolutionary processes; discrete, continuous and mixed traits with missingness and measurement errors; and fast, gradient-informed integration techniques that rapidly traverse high-dimensional parameter spaces.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Templin T, Fort S, Padmanabham P, et al (2025)

Framework for bias evaluation in large language models in healthcare settings.

NPJ digital medicine, 8(1):414.

A critical gap in the adoption of large language models for AI-assisted clinical decisions is the lack of a standardized audit framework to evaluate models for accuracy and bias. Our framework introduces a five-step framework that guides practitioners through stakeholder engagement, model calibration to specific patient populations, and rigorous testing through clinically relevant scenarios. We provide open-access tools for stakeholder engagement and an example of an audit. As the regulation of models becomes more critical, we believe adoption of an audit framework that tests model outputs, rather than regulating specific hyperparameters or inputs, will encourage the responsible use of AI in clinical settings.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Aragaki AK, Manson JE, LeBlanc ES, et al (2025)

Development and Validation of Body Mass Index-Specific Waist Circumference Thresholds in Postmenopausal Women : A Prospective Cohort Study.

Annals of internal medicine [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: A 2020 consensus statement proposed body mass index (BMI)-specific waist circumference (WC) thresholds to improve patient care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether stratifying BMI categories by BMI-specific WC thresholds improves mortality risk prediction.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study.

SETTING: Women's Health Initiative multicenter, population-based U.S. study, with enrollment from 1993 to 1998 and follow-up through 2021.

PARTICIPANTS: 139 213 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years were included in a development cohort (n = 67 774) and 2 external validation cohorts. Validation Cohort 1 had high prevalence of overweight or obesity (n = 48 335), and Validation Cohort 2 included diverse, geographically separate centers (n = 23 104).

MEASUREMENTS: Height, weight, and WC measured at enrollment. BMI categories were normal weight (18.5 to <25 kg/m[2]), overweight (25 to <30 kg/m[2]), obesity-1 (30 to <35 kg/m[2]), obesity-2 (35 to <40 kg/m[2]), and obesity-3 (≥40 kg/m[2]), with further stratification by prespecified WC thresholds (≥80, ≥90, ≥105, ≥115, and ≥115 cm, respectively). Mortality was ascertained annually and was supplemented with serial National Death Index queries. Ten- and 20-year mortality prediction models that included BMI categories were compared to models with BMI categories stratified by WC thresholds using c-statistics and continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI).

RESULTS: Over a median of 24 years of follow-up, 69 297 participants died. Multivariable-adjusted mortality risk was consistently greater for BMI categories with large WC than those with normal WC. Compared with women with normal weight and normal WC, women with normal or overweight BMI but large WC (hazard ratios [HRs], 1.17 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.21] and 1.19 [CI, 1.15 to 1.24], respectively) had risk similar to those with obesity-1 but normal WC (HR, 1.12 [CI, 1.08 to 1.16]). Mortality associated with obesity-1 and large WC (HR, 1.45 [CI, 1.35 to 1.55]) was similar to that with obesity-3 and normal WC (HR, 1.40 [CI, 1.28 to 1.54]). Models with BMI-specific WC thresholds improved discrimination and risk stratification at 10 years for Validation Cohort 1; c-statistics improved by 0.7% (CI, 0.3% to 1.0%) to 61.3% (CI, 60.2% to 62.5%), and continuous NRI was 20.4% (CI, 17.3% to 23.6%). Results were mixed for Validation Cohort 2; risk stratification improved (continuous NRI, 12.3% [CI, 8.5% to 16.0%]), but not discrimination. Results were similar at 20 years.

LIMITATION: The study did not include men or younger women.

CONCLUSION: Further stratifying BMI categories by WC thresholds modestly improved mortality risk stratification, with larger WC predicting greater mortality, although the degree of improvement varied by cohort. Discrimination did not improve consistently.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

RevDate: 2025-07-07
CmpDate: 2025-07-07

Montano-Campos JF, Hahn E, Haupt E, et al (2025)

Using Early Biomarker Change and Treatment Adherence to Predict Risk of Relapse Among Patients With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Who Are in Remission.

JCO clinical cancer informatics, 9:e2500003.

PURPOSE: There is little guidance for decision making in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after patients achieve molecular remission. Our study addresses this gap by developing a risk prediction model for molecular relapse using early longitudinal factors, such as BCR::ABL1 biomarker-level changes and treatment adherence.

METHODS: We analyzed electronic health record data of patients with CML diagnosed between 2007 and 2019 from an integrated health system. We used a time-to-event modeling framework using a Cox proportional hazards approach where we evaluated time from molecular remission to molecular relapse. The main predictors were early changes in BCR::ABL1 levels from treatment initiation to the first follow-up measurement (typically around 3 months) and treatment adherence in the first 6 months, categorized as perfect (≥0.98) or less-than-perfect (<0.98). Model performance was assessed through five-fold cross-validation combined with 100 Monte Carlo bootstrapping iterations to ensure robustness and minimize bias.

RESULTS: Patients with early improvement in BCR::ABL1 levels had a 70% lower risk relapse (hazard ratio [HR], 0.30 [95% CI, 0.15 to 0.59]) compared with those without early molecular response. Perfect adherence during this critical early phase of treatment was associated with a 56% lower relapse risk (HR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.22 to 0.85]). Predictive accuracy was high at 6 months (AUC, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87 to 0.95) and 1-year postremission (AUC, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.81). Relapse risk was significantly higher among Black, Asian, and Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients.

CONCLUSION: Early biomarker trends and adherence after treatment initiation are critical for accurately predicting relapse among patients who achieve molecular remission. The proposed model addresses a gap in guidance after molecular remission and has the potential to enable personalized monitoring and optimize surveillance strategies, offering transformative potential for CML care.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Jochim B, Topalidou I, N Lehrbach (2025)

Protein sequence editing defines distinct and overlapping functions of SKN-1A/Nrf1 and SKN-1C/Nrf2.

PLoS genetics, 21(7):e1011780 pii:PGENETICS-D-25-00366 [Epub ahead of print].

The Nrf/NFE2L family of transcription factors regulates redox balance, xenobiotic detoxification, metabolism, proteostasis, and aging. Nrf1/NFE2L1 is primarily responsible for stress-responsive upregulation of proteasome subunit genes and is essential for adaptation to proteotoxic stress. Nrf2/NFE2L2 is mainly involved in activating oxidative stress responses and promoting xenobiotic detoxification. Nrf1 and Nrf2 contain very similar DNA binding domains and can drive similar transcriptional responses. In C. elegans, a single gene, skn-1, encodes distinct protein isoforms, SKN-1A and SKN-1C, that function analogously to mammalian Nrf1 and Nrf2, respectively, and share an identical DNA binding domain. Thus, the extent to which SKN-1A/Nrf1 and SKN-1C/Nrf2 functions are distinct or overlapping has been unclear. Regulation of the proteasome by SKN-1A/Nrf1 requires post-translational conversion of N-glycosylated asparagine residues to aspartate by the PNG-1/NGLY1 peptide:N-glycanase, a process we term 'sequence editing'. Here, we reveal the consequences of sequence editing for the transcriptomic output of activated SKN-1A. We confirm that activation of proteasome subunit genes is strictly dependent on sequence editing. In addition, we find that sequence edited SKN-1A can also activate genes linked to redox homeostasis and xenobiotic detoxification that are also regulated by SKN-1C, but the extent of these genes' activation is antagonized by sequence editing. Using mutant alleles that selectively inactivate either SKN-1A or SKN-1C, we show that both isoforms promote optimal oxidative stress resistance, acting as effectors for distinct signaling pathways. These findings suggest that sequence editing governs SKN-1/Nrf functions by tuning the SKN-1A/Nrf1 regulated transcriptome.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Perales MA, Awan FT, Boumendil A, et al (2025)

Outcomes of Allogeneic HCT in Hodgkin Lymphoma in the Era of Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Joint CIBMTR and EBMT Analysis.

Blood pii:546085 [Epub ahead of print].

Checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) have shown remarkable efficacy in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and are now used routinely for this disease. While allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) remains a curative option for HL, there are concerns that prior CPI may exacerbate post alloHCT complications, particularly graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and lead to worse outcomes. Given the relative paucity of data, we performed a CIBMTR/EBMT study to examine the impact of prior CPI in alloHCT outcomes. We included 2186 adult patients > 18 years who received a first alloHCT using a matched related, unrelated or haploidentical donor from 2008-2023. Twenty-seven percent of patients received prior CPI. GVHD prophylaxis was post-transplant cyclophosphamide in 55.8% patients in the CPI cohort and 35% in the non-CPI cohort. Median follow-up among survivors was longer for the non-CPI (39 months) than CPI cohort (16.5 months). In the multivariate analysis, prior CPI exposure did not affect overall survival or non-relapse mortality but resulted in improved progression-free survival (non-CPI vs. CPI HR 0.81, 0.67-0.98, p=0.03) and lower incidence of relapse (HR 0.58, 0.45-0.76, p<0001). While grade II-IV (HR1.26, 1.04-1.53; p=0.02) and III-IV (HR1.41, 1.04-1.92; p=0.03) acute GVHD were increased differences in chronic GVHD were not significant. Use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide based GVHD prophylaxis resulted in improved OS, lower grade II-IV acute GVHD and chronic GVHD in patients with prior CPI exposure. In summary, allo-HCT should still be considered a curative option for patients with HL in the era of checkpoint inhibitors.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Dhodapkar MV, B Paiva (2025)

Immune Alterations in Myeloma Evolution and Outcomes: Quo Vadis?.

Blood pii:546084 [Epub ahead of print].

The pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM) and its precursor monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is linked to an aging immune system. Chronic activation of B/plasma cells may contribute to the origin of MGUS, which is frequent in the elderly. However, only 1% of individuals with MGUS annually experience progression to MM. The immune system can specifically recognize MGUS lesions and preclinical MM models provide evidence for both innate and adaptive immune surveillance. Multiomic studies have identified several systemic alterations at the MGUS stage, suggesting accelerated immune aging prior to evolution into clinical malignancy. MM is further associated with spatial alterations in patterns of tumor growth and in-situ regulation of regional immunity. Both tumor and microenvironment-related factors contribute to immune paresis, which facilitates the dissemination of clonal plasma cells and increases the risk of infections in MM patients. Immune profiles in blood or marrow exhibit considerable heterogeneity and have been linked to outcomes following immune therapies including T cell redirection. Understanding how underlying systemic immune changes impact in-vivo function and durability of natural or synthetic tumor/antigen-specific immunity needs further study. Preserving or restoring immune function may be critical for long-term outcomes both in the context of prevention of clinical MM and of treating active disease. Benchmarking of immune biomarkers followed by its prospective integration into current risk models, together with improved understanding of mechanisms underlying tumor immunity in-vivo, are needed to optimize immune approaches and improve outcomes in MM.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Naidoo N, Bell-Brown A, Kimura A, et al (2025)

Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Completion by Instruction Type: A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing QR-Code linked Video to Pictorial Instructions.

The American journal of gastroenterology pii:00000434-990000000-01834 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Low-literacy, pictorial instructions improve fecal immunochemical test (FIT) completion and might enhance colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. The aim of this study was to compare FIT completion among English- and Spanish-speaking patients in an organized CRC screening program based on the type of instructions received (quick response (QR)-code linked to a video vs. pictorial instructions).

METHODS: In this randomized controlled quality improvement study, English- and Spanish-speaking patients eligible for mailed outreach through an organized CRC screening program were randomized 1:1 to receive a FIT kit with either a QR-code linked video or pictorial instructions in their preferred language. Patient demographics (gender, age, race, ethnicity, and insurance type) and clinical outcomes (FIT completion and time to completion) were abstracted from electronic health records.

RESULTS: 13,471 English-speaking patients and 508 Spanish-speaking patients were included. Overall, 31.9% of patients who received mailed outreach completed CRC screening by FIT. However, FIT completion was higher among patients who received QR-code instructions vs. pictorial instructions (33.5% vs 30.4%, absolute difference 3.1%, 95% CI 1.5% - 4.6%). These findings were similar among English- and Spanish-speaking patients. The median time to FIT completion was two days longer (24 days, 95% CI 23-25) for patients who received QR-code instructions versus pictorial instructions, however there was no difference in time to FIT completion by language group.

CONCLUSION: Providing QR-code based education offers a promising format for delivering low literacy instructions, which might be a practical strategy to improve FIT completion for CRC screening.

RevDate: 2025-07-07
CmpDate: 2025-07-07

Chen W, Majovski J, Bhatia S, et al (2025)

A mixed-method analysis of oncologist-patient communications about immune checkpoint inhibitors (COACH).

The oncologist, 30(7):.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant attention in the media and oncology community about improved outcomes associated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), there remains a gap in our understanding of how oncologists describe ICIs to their patients. Communication around ICIs represents a challenge as some patients have durable, remarkable benefits while others experience severe toxicities. We investigated oncologist-patient communication practices by performing a mixed-methods study of in-clinic discussions about ICIs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a mixed-method study in which in-clinic conversations between oncologists and their patients with advanced cancers about ICIs as potential treatments were audio-recorded. Patients were asked to complete a post-discussion survey. Qualitative data was derived from a general inductive thematic approach while descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey responses.

RESULTS: We recorded and analyzed 13 in-clinic conversations involving 8 oncologists and 13 patients. Twelve patients completed the post-discussion surveys. The conversations involved sophisticated discussions of immune function, cancer and ICI mechanisms, and trade-offs between anticancer benefits and toxicities. Oncologists incorporated metaphors and probabilistic information in their explanations. In the post-discussion surveys, patients indicated a preference for detailed information about ICIs and reported that they received the right depth of information in these discussions.

CONCLUSIONS: During in-clinic discussions of ICI therapy, oncologists provided detailed information about immunology and cancer, often aided by metaphors. Probabilities were commonly used to describe the likelihood of toxicities and benefits. The amount of information provided by the oncologists aligned with the patients' preference for detailed information about their cancer treatments.

RevDate: 2025-07-07

Kauffman ZJ, Koesser K, Helzer KT, et al (2025)

Lossless Altered Histone Modification Analysis System (LAHMAS).

Lab on a chip [Epub ahead of print].

Miniaturized biological assays using microfluidics have the potential to enhance assay sensitivity, reduce reagent consumption, and increase throughput. However, challenges to miniaturization include increased platform complexity and increased surface to volume ratios leading to risk of evaporation and analyte loss through surface binding. Exclusive Liquid Repellency (ELR) enables open microfluidic systems that minimize these challenges through an oil phase that protects small aqueous volumes from temperature fluctuation and evaporation while eliminating surface fouling that leads to sample loss. Here we report a novel microfluidic platform leveraging ELR and Exclusion-based Sample Preparation (ESP) for the miniaturization of CUT&Tag, a complex multistep biological assay. The resultant Lossless Altered Histone Modification Analysis System (LAHMAS) employs a PDMS-silane treated glass surface immersed in silicone oil to facilitate lossless liquid handling and prevent sample evaporation. The device design, compatible with standard laboratory equipment, allows effective processing of cell inputs as low as 100 cells with higher specificity than macroscale CUT&Tag facilitating accurate chromatin profiling of low input and rare cell samples.

RevDate: 2025-07-06

Jimenez Jimenez AM, Spellman SR, Politikos I, et al (2025)

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Donor Selection: Contemporary Guidelines from the NMDP/CIBMTR.

Transplantation and cellular therapy pii:S2666-6367(25)01290-4 [Epub ahead of print].

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) remains a curative therapy for many patients with hematologic malignancies, bone marrow failure syndromes, inborn errors of immunity and metabolic disorders. Current donor selection strategies typically prioritize the selection of an HLA-matched donor over HLA mismatched ("alternative") donor sources, with a hierarchical approach to the donor search. More recent data challenge this rubric, particularly in the context of novel graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis strategies that demonstrate improved outcomes in alternative donor HCT recipients. In this setting, an increased emphasis on non-HLA factors (both donor characteristics and systemic factors) in determining donor selection is now feasible. In this guideline, we review recent evidence from prospective clinical trials as well as high-quality observational studies and provide expert panel recommendations on donor selection algorithms and prioritization in the era of novel GVHD prophylaxis. We then highlight important questions still to be answered in our field.

RevDate: 2025-07-06

Hullar MAJ, Kahsai O, Curtis KR, et al (2025)

Metabolic plasticity of the gut microbiome in response to diets differing in glycemic load in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study.

The American journal of clinical nutrition pii:S0002-9165(25)00383-1 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Dietary patterns characterized by low-glycemic, minimally processed plant foods are associated with lower risk of several chronic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effects of a low glycemic load (LGL) versus a high glycemic load (HGL) dietary pattern on stool bacterial community structure and metabolism.

METHODS: Participants in this crossover-controlled feeding study were healthy men and women (n=69). We identified genera, species, and genes and transcripts of metabolic pathways and bacterial enzymes using 16S rRNA gene, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing, and bioinformatic analysis.

RESULTS: Overall community structure measured by alpha and beta diversity were not significantly different across the diets although diet did significantly increase the abundance of 13 out of 161 genera (padj<0.05) and 5 species in the LGL and 7 species in the HGL diet. Gene expression in the hexitol fermentation pathway (β=-1.15, SE=0.24 with 95% CI (-1.63, -0.67); padj=0.002) was significantly higher in the HGL diet, whereas expression in the L-lysine biosynthesis pathway (β =0.20, SE=0.05 with 95% CI (0.09, 0.30); padj=0.03); was enriched in the LGL diet. The beta diversity of expressed carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) was significantly different between the diets (MiRKAT, p<0.001). CAZymes enriched in the HGL diet reflected dietary additives while CAZymes enriched in the LGL diet reflected diverse phytochemical intake. There was a significant interaction between HOMA IR and the Coenzyme A biosynthesis I pathway involved in bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis (padj=0.035) that was positive in the HGL diet (β=0.20, SE=0.09 with 95% CI (0.02, 0.39)) and negative in the LGL diet (β =-0.23, SE=0.09 with 95% CI (-0.40, -0.06)).

CONCLUSION: In healthy humans, diet impacts microbial metabolism and enzymatic activity but not the overall diversity of the gut microbiome. This emphasizes the relevance of dietary components in activating expression of specific bacterial genes and their impact on host metabolism. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00622661.

RevDate: 2025-07-06

White RG, Churchyard GJ, Horton KC, et al (2025)

Evidence required to evaluate the use of bacteriologically confirmed asymptomatic tuberculosis disease as a primary endpoint in prevention of tuberculosis disease vaccine licensure trials.

The Lancet. Respiratory medicine pii:S2213-2600(25)00164-X [Epub ahead of print].

Current licensure trials of new vaccines to prevent tuberculosis disease use bacteriologically confirmed symptomatic tuberculosis disease as the primary endpoint. Globally, the incidence of symptomatic tuberculosis disease is low, making licensure trials large, long, and expensive. New data suggest that bacteriologically confirmed asymptomatic tuberculosis disease might occur more frequently than symptomatic tuberculosis disease. Therefore, if vaccines have efficacy against asymptomatic disease, tuberculosis vaccine licensure trials could include it in the primary endpoint, potentially leading to smaller or shorter trials. We describe the potential benefits and risks of this inclusion in the primary endpoint of tuberculosis vaccine licensure trials. We also simulate licensure trial endpoint accrual and summarise feedback from anonymous regulators and policy makers on the knowledge needed to consider this proposal and research studies needed to fill these evidence gaps. If bacteriologically confirmed asymptomatic tuberculosis disease could be included in the primary endpoint of tuberculosis disease licensure trials, it could lead to cheaper and more rapid tuberculosis vaccine development.

RevDate: 2025-07-05

Petersdorf EW (2025)

Semper Progrediens.

Transplantation and cellular therapy, 31(7):399-400.

RevDate: 2025-07-05
CmpDate: 2025-07-05

Rafati DM, Wang Y, Koppayi AL, et al (2025)

REMOVED: Conditioning Regimen Considerations for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Recipients with Germline Pathogenic Variants in Base-Excision Repair Pathway Genes.

Transplantation and cellular therapy, 31(2S):S338.

This abstract has been removed: please see Elsevier policy on article withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal). This article has been removed at the request of the author. This abstract has been removed because it was not presented at the 2025 BMT Tandem Meeting.

RevDate: 2025-07-05
CmpDate: 2025-07-05

Rafati DM, Pirsl F, Katki HA, et al (2025)

REMOVED: Genetic Landscape in Myelofibrosis Impacts Post-Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Outcomes.

Transplantation and cellular therapy, 31(2S):S337.

This abstract has been removed: please see Elsevier policy on article withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal). This article has been removed at the request of the author. This abstract has been removed because it was not presented at the 2025 BMT Tandem Meeting.

RevDate: 2025-07-05

Chloe TB, Taara EB, Kenna S, et al (2025)

Serositis associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Transplantation and cellular therapy pii:S2666-6367(25)01286-2 [Epub ahead of print].

Serositis is a recognized complication associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) in patients who undergo allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Although it is uncommon, serositis after HCT can have significant negative clinical impacts. There are limited data describing the patient population, incidence, risk factors and management strategies of cGVHD-associated serositis. We retrospectively identified 50 adult patients who underwent HCT at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center between 1998 and 2021 and developed serositis attributed to cGVHD. Most patients developed pericardial effusions (n=31) and/or pleural effusions (n=38). 94% of patients with pleural effusion and 87% of patients with pericardial effusion received medical management for their serositis. Eleven patients experienced at least one recurrence of serositis. The median overall survival for all serositis types at one-year post-serositis diagnosis was 86%, and 69% for three-years post-serositis diagnosis. Serositis is a serious atypical cGVHD manifestation and prospective data collected from a larger cohort of patients is required to better understand favorable treatment strategies and outcomes of this complication.

RevDate: 2025-07-05

Huang Y, Zhang B, Zhang L, et al (2025)

Dose finding in early-phase human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention monoclonal antibody clinical trials.

Clinical trials (London, England) [Epub ahead of print].

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 remains a major public health burden with 39 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and 1.3 million new diagnoses in 2023, despite the recent approval of multiple antiretroviral-based prevention products. While the development of a safe and effective human immunodeficiency virus type 1 vaccine remains the ultimate goal for controlling the worldwide pandemic, progress has been hindered by unprecedented challenges, including the extraordinary genetic diversity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1, the inability of current vaccines to induce broadly reactive antibody responses, and the lack of clear immune correlates of protection to serve as benchmarks for vaccine development. Passive administration of broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies that are engineered versions of naturally occurring antibodies has emerged as a potential complement to current human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention modalities. These antibodies are isolated from people with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and can neutralize a broad range of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viruses. Importantly, advances in antibody engineering have improved the pharmacokinetics of these monoclonal antibodies, offering potential for lower levels and/or less frequent monoclonal antibody dosing with greater feasibility and accessibility for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention. Evaluating monoclonal antibody candidates in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention trials, dose-finding and optimization requires a careful balance between virus-neutralization coverage, cost considerations, and practical constraints. To achieve this, pharmacokinetic modeling of antibody concentrations over time, combined with pharmacodynamics modeling of the relationship between neuralization titers and prevention efficacy, serves as a core of the statistical framework. In addition, for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 monoclonal antibodies administered to individuals without human immunodeficiency virus type, neutralization titers can be reliably predicted from antibody concentrations, owning to the preservation of neutralization function post-administration of these monoclonal antibodies. Within this framework, the antibody-mediated prevention efficacy trials of VRC01, an human immunodeficiency virus type 1 monoclonal antibody, and a meta-analysis of 16 different monoclonal antibodies in non-human primates provided consistent evidence that neutralization titer is a potential pharmacodynamics biomarker of monoclonal antibody prevention efficacy. These findings support the use of integrated pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics modeling as a foundation for dose finding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 monoclonal antibodies. However, in the context of combination monoclonal antibody regimens, additional challenges arise. The total dose cost, operational feasibility, and the influence of dosing ratios on neutralization breadth and potency across diverse human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viral strains are important areas for further research. While monoclonal antibody clinical trials share some common design features with therapeutic small molecule drug trials, monoclonal antibodies possess unique safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profiles that require dedicated statistical and clinical considerations, particularly when used for prevention of viral infections. In this article, we highlight dose-finding efforts particularly for combination monoclonal antibodies regimens, including the selection of optimal dosing ratio and total dose amount in the context of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention. Looking ahead, future directions in monoclonal antibody-based human immunodeficiency virus type 1 prevention include efforts to enhance dose-associated cost-effectiveness, and the identification and validation of robust pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic markers that are predictive of the prevention efficacy of combination monoclonal antibodies.

RevDate: 2025-07-05

Lakkaraja M, KS Baker (2025)

Precision transplant and cell therapies for non-malignant disorders-The path forward.

British journal of haematology [Epub ahead of print].

The number of patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) and cell therapies for non-malignant disorders is steadily increasing with more genetic diseases being identified and newer gene therapy products being introduced for various indications. By combining individualized conditioning, novel graft manipulation techniques, using cutting edge methods to monitor post HCT response and offering exceptional survivorship care, one can achieve excellent survival and improved quality of life for these patients.

RevDate: 2025-07-04

Kennedy VE, Ahmed N, Artz A, et al (2025)

Assessing Cognitive Function in Transplantation and CAR-T Recipients: Expert Recommendations from the Survivorship, Aging and Biobehavioral Special Interest Groups of ASTCT.

Transplantation and cellular therapy pii:S2666-6367(25)01269-2 [Epub ahead of print].

Cognitive impairment is a prevalent yet underexplored comorbidity and complication in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Affecting up to half of patients, cognitive impairment may include acute phases, manifesting as transplant-associated altered mentation and encephalopathy (TAME) or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and may persist for years post-treatment as cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Such dysfunction undermines autonomy, healthcare management, work reintegration, and quality of life. This consensus review synthesizes current evidence on CRCI across the timeline of transplant and cellular therapy, organized into pre-, peri-, and post-therapy phases, with additional focus on specific populations, such as older adults and pediatric patients. It highlights gaps in understanding of cognitive impairment risks, trajectory, and impact, alongside the challenges of standardizing assessments in diverse practice settings. Key recommendations, endorsed by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Aging, Biobehavioral Research, and Survivorship Special Interest Groups, advocate for cognitive assessment pre- and post-therapy using validated instruments, like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) or Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration Test (BOMC). We additionally recommend supplementing with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) measures for comprehensive evaluation. If cognitive impairment is identified, we recommend action items, including exclusion of alternative etiologies, reconsideration of therapy or caregiving plan, and referrals for additional evaluation and rehabilitation, among others. Practical guidance for implementation across clinical and research settings is provided, emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary strategies to address identified impairments. This work aims to establish a framework for systematic cognitive monitoring, improving patient outcomes and quality of life while guiding future research to address significant knowledge and implementation gaps.

RevDate: 2025-07-04

Corn BW, Paulus R, Gondi V, et al (2025)

"Hope" Drives Quality of Life in Patients with Brain Metastases, But, the "Hope Center" Remains Elusive: An Analysis of NRG-CC003.

International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics pii:S0360-3016(25)04519-5 [Epub ahead of print].

PURPOSE: xxxxx randomized 393 patients with small cell lung cancer to prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) with or without Hippocampal Avoidance (HA). "Hopefulness" is a cognitive construct with 3 components: goals, pathways and agency. Hope is measurable with validated instruments. Since hope is cognitive in nature, the existence of a "hope center" in the brain - most likely in the hippocampus - has been hypothesized. One exploratory objective of xxxxx posited that if hope levels were better maintained in patients randomized to PCI+HA, then the hippocampus would be implicated in the mechanism of hopefulness.

METHODS & MATERIALS: PCI consisted of 10 fractions of 2.5 Gy. The Adult Hope Scale (AHS) was administered at time-zero and at 6-months. Regarding patient reported outcome (PRO) measures, the EORTC QLQ-C30 was administered at baseline and at 3, 6-, 12-, 18- and 24-month intervals. Comparisons of AHS scores by arm were made using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, and correlation of AHS with EORTC QLQ-C30 by Pearson correlation coefficients.

RESULTS: Approximately 95% completed the AHS at baseline and 67% filled out the questionnaire at 6-months paralleling the completion rates of the conventional tools for QOL and neurocognition. When comparing hope levels (change from baseline to 6 months) there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two arms of the trial. There was a correlation for the components of hopefulness with QOL; specifically, between change in agency score and QLQ-C30 global health status (rho=0.27, p<0.0001) as well as between change in pathways score and QLQ-C30 global health status (rho=0.16, p=0.022).

CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to study hopefulness in the context of prospective trials conducted within the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The hippocampus could not be implicated as a critical structure in a central pathway that coordinates hopefulness. For the first time, validated tools established a relationship between hope and quality of life among cancer patients.

RevDate: 2025-07-04
CmpDate: 2025-07-04

Marchak JG, Seidel KD, Cherven BO, et al (2025)

Comprehensive assessment of sexual function in male survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

Cancer, 131(14):e35967.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of sexual dysfunction among adult male survivors of childhood cancer has primarily been limited to erectile dysfunction. This study aimed to characterize sexual functioning more comprehensively among a large population of male survivors of childhood cancer.

METHODS: Male survivors (N = 1595, 22.0-59.4 years, median age, 37.8 years) and siblings (N = 269, 21.5-60.8 years, median age, 38.9 years) from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study completed the Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (SFQ) to assess interest, desire, arousal, satisfaction, activity, orgasm, masturbation, relationship, and problems. Poor sexual functioning was defined as SFQ Total scores >2 standard deviations below siblings' mean. Multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors for poor sexual function.

RESULTS: Survivors (8.3%) were more likely to report poor sexual functioning as compared to siblings (4.9%, odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.4) and reported lower SFQ total scores (p < .001) and lower means on seven subscales. Poor sexual functioning among survivors was associated with older age (40-49 years: OR, 3.81; 95% CI, 1.78-8.18; 50-59 years: OR, 6.45; 95% CI, 2.28-18.30), not being married (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 2.66-7.26), lower education (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.32-7.14), learning/memory problems (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.02-3.27), and high-dose cranial (≥40 Gy: OR, 3.45; 95% CI, 1.58-7.51) or high-dose testicular (≥10 Gy: OR, 4.16; 95% CI, 1.66-10.39) radiation.

CONCLUSIONS: Adult male survivors report poor sexual functioning at twice the rate expected before age 60 years. High-dose cranial or testicular radiation, as well as social and cognitive factors, contributes to risk. Improved awareness of sexual dysfunction prevalence and risk factors in male childhood cancer survivors can help clinicians better assess and treat those at highest risk.

RevDate: 2025-07-04

Mezzanotte-Sharpe J, Hsu CY, Choi D, et al (2025)

Adverse events in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemo/immunotherapy for triple negative breast cancer: results from seven academic medical centers.

Breast cancer research and treatment [Epub ahead of print].

PURPOSE: The standard-of-care neoadjuvant treatment for early-stage or locally advanced triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the KEYNOTE-522 regimen that combines pembrolizumab and chemotherapy. Although this approach has superior response and survival rates, high-grade adverse events (AEs) are common. Real-world data from a diverse patient population is needed to better understand practice patterns and the impact of immunotherapy in TNBC patients.

METHODS: Medical records from TNBC patients were retrospectively reviewed during neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy. CTCAE version 5.0 was used to grade AEs. Variables were reported with descriptive statistics, and AE, pCR and hospitalization rates were estimated with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS: We identified 415 patients from seven academic medical centers; 60% identified as White and 21% as Black. pCR rate was 52%. 88% of patients experienced an AE, 38% experienced a grade 3+ AE, and 31% stopped pembrolizumab early. Hospitalization rate was 26%. There were no statistically significant differences in AE, pCR or hospitalization rates between White and Black patients. Obese patients had a statistically significant higher hospitalization rate (p = 0.014). There were 18 deaths during treatment, mainly from progressive TNBC.

CONCLUSION: This is one of the largest real-world, diverse patient cohorts for TNBC patients treated with chemotherapy and pembrolizumab. pCR rate was lower than that reported in the KEYNOTE-522 study and in smaller real-world studies, potentially due to high rates of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy discontinuation. AEs and hospitalizations were common, with obese patients more likely to be hospitalized than patients with a normal BMI.

RevDate: 2025-07-04

Fourment M, Macaulay M, Swanepoel CJ, et al (2025)

torchtree: flexible phylogenetic model development and inference using PyTorch.

Systematic biology pii:8185940 [Epub ahead of print].

Bayesian inference has predominantly relied on the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm for many years. However, MCMC is computationally laborious, especially for complex phylogenetic models of time trees. This bottleneck has led to the search for alternatives, such as variational Bayes, which can scale better to large datasets. In this paper, we introduce torchtree, a framework written in Python that allows developers to easily implement rich phylogenetic models and algorithms using a fixed tree topology. One can either use automatic differentiation, or leverage torchtree's plug-in system to compute gradients analytically for model components for which automatic differentiation is slow. We demonstrate that the torchtree variational inference framework performs similarly to BEAST in terms of speed, and delivers promising approximation results, though accuracy varies across scenarios. Furthermore, we explore the use of the forward KL divergence as an optimizing criterion for variational inference, which can handle discontinuous and non-differentiable models. Our experiments show that inference using the forward KL divergence is frequently faster per iteration compared to the evidence lower bound (ELBO) criterion, although the ELBO-based inference may converge faster in some cases. Overall, torchtree provides a flexible and efficient framework for phylogenetic model development and inference using PyTorch. phylogenetics, Bayesian inference, variational Bayes, PyTorch.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Keyes M, Sturdza AE, Crook J, et al (2025)

Joint ABS/GEC-ESTRO Consensus Statement on the objectives of training in brachytherapy for physicians.

Brachytherapy pii:S1538-4721(25)00093-5 [Epub ahead of print].

Brachytherapy is an essential skill in the practice of radiation oncology and is an important component of high-quality, full-service radiation oncology departments. With rapidly changing technology, the role of brachytherapy is constantly evolving, but it remains critically important for optimal patient care in several disease sites. As a procedural aspect of radiation oncology practice, brachytherapy requires a fundamentally different and more focused training approach, with specific training objectives, a unique knowledge base, and specialized training environment. The existing gap in brachytherapy training and experience is compounded with a lack of standardized training objectives. Consensus statement objectives were in part adapted with permission from the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada, and then further reviewed, modified and enriched with expert knowledge by all authors. Training objectives were further synchronized with the US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This ABS/GEC-ESTRO Consensus Statement of training objectives will facilitate brachytherapy training by outlining the necessary knowledge and procedural skills for successful practice in brachytherapy. The final brachytherapy curriculum development for any individual program, country and regions, is the responsibility of the individual programs and licensing jurisdictions and should be tailored to their patient population, available equipment and facilities.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Banerjee R, Amonoo HL, Barata A, et al (2025)

Assessing Quality of Life and Symptoms in Transplantation and CAR-T Recipients: Expert Panel Recommendations from the Survivorship Special Interest Group of ASTCT.

Transplantation and cellular therapy pii:S2666-6367(25)01284-9 [Epub ahead of print].

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to measure quality of life (QOL) and other symptoms play an increasingly important role in clinical trials and regulatory approvals for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. However, their adoption has been hindered by wide heterogeneity in the choice of PRO measures for clinical research, including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplantation (FACT-BMT) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) inventories. Additionally, the potential for PRO integration into routine standard-of-care (SOC) practice for patients undergoing HCT or CAR-T therapy has not yet been realized. As part of a coordinated effort by three American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Special Interest Groups, we developed best practices for PRO integration in adult and pediatric recipients of HCT and CAR-T therapy. We strongly encourage the use of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) or PRO version of Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE) instruments as the primary PRO measures for most HCT and CAR-T trials. Measures such as the PROMIS-29 inventory can be used for QOL assessments, while PRO-CTCAE item banks can be used for specific symptoms. Rationales for our strong recommendation to move from FACT-BMT and EORTC QLQ-C30 to PROMIS/PRO-CTCAE instruments include: (1) free licensing and ease of implementation, including in electronic medical records; (2) psychometric validation in a variety of oncologic settings, including during inpatient hospitalizations; (3) translation into multiple languages, with validation in both adult and pediatric settings; and (4) adoption into centrally-collected PRO protocols from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research for both HCT and CAR-T recipients. Steps to operationalize these PRO measures are discussed, as are methods to migrate existing data from legacy PRO instruments. We similarly recommend the consideration of PRO integration into SOC clinical practice, including the development of threshold-based workflows to both personalize and standardize care in this setting. Other panel recommendations include the use of standardized timepoints for longitudinal PRO assessments and the inclusion of patient advocates when implementing PRO measures. Implementing these steps will improve the ability of PROs to improve outcomes for patients undergoing HCT or CAR-T therapy, both in trials and - more importantly - in SOC practice.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Layman RM, Han HS, Rugo HS, et al (2025)

Overall survival in patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer treated in a phase 1b trial evaluating gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib and endocrine therapy.

The Lancet. Oncology, 26(7):e332-e333.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Severson TM, Minnee E, Zhu Y, et al (2025)

Epigenetic profiling identifies markers of endocrine resistance and therapeutic options for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Cell reports. Medicine pii:S2666-3791(25)00288-5 [Epub ahead of print].

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling inhibitors, including enzalutamide, are treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), but resistance inevitably develops. Using metastatic samples from a prospective phase 2 clinical trial, we epigenetically profile enhancer/promoter activities with acetylation of lysine residue 27 on histone 3 (H3K27ac) chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing, before and after AR-targeted therapy. We identify a distinct subset of H3K27ac-differentially marked regions that are associated with treatment responsiveness, which we successfully validate in mCRPC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. In silico analyses reveal histone deacetylase (HDAC)3 to critically drive resistance to hormonal interventions, which we validate in vitro. Critically, we identify the pan-HDAC inhibitor vorinostat to be effective in decreasing tumor cell proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we uncover evidence for HDAC3 working together with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) as a potential mechanism for this therapeutic effect. These findings demonstrate the rationale for therapeutic strategies including HDAC inhibitors to improve patient outcome in advanced stages of mCRPC.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Chen J, Hart JE, VoPham T, et al (2025)

Ambient dioxin exposure and incidence of lymphoid malignancies in large prospective US cohorts of female nurses.

Journal of hazardous materials, 495:139115 pii:S0304-3894(25)02031-X [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Limited evidence exists from prospective cohorts on residential dioxin exposure and incident non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM). We assessed the associations in two US nationwide cohorts - the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, 1986-2012) and NHSII (1989-2019).

METHODS: We estimated residential proximity, duration of residence and emissions from industrial dioxin-emitting facilities within 3 km, 5 km, and 10 km radii. Outcomes included overall NHL, major NHL subtypes, and MM. Using time-varying Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) and meta-analyzed cohort-specific results.

RESULTS: We observed 984 NHL and 227 MM cases in NHS (1,921,802 person-years), and 396 NHL and 61 MM cases in NHSII (2,845,710 person-years). We did not observe consistent associations between dioxin exposure and overall NHL or MM incidence. Results were heterogeneous across major NHL subtypes. Increased follicular lymphoma incidence was suggestively associated with residential proximity to dioxin-emitting facilities (HRyes vs. no and 95 % CI: 1.26, 0.95 -1.68) and duration of residence near these facilities (HR≤median vs. non-exposed and 95 % CI: 1.44, 0.98 -2.12) and significantly with dioxin emission levels (HR≤median vs. non-exposed and 95 % CI: 1.52, 1.07 -2.16) within 3 km. These positive associations remained suggestive for up to 10 km.

CONCLUSION: Dioxin exposure showed no consistent association with overall NHL or MM, but a positive association with follicular lymphoma was suggested.

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-03

Barrero DJ, Hedouin S, Mao Y, et al (2025)

Centromeres in the thermotolerant yeast K. marxianus mediate attachment to a single microtubule.

Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology, 33(1):14.

Eukaryotic chromosome segregation requires spindle microtubules to attach to chromosomes through kinetochores. The chromosomal locus that mediates kinetochore assembly is the centromere and is epigenetically specified in most organisms by a centromeric histone H3 variant called CENP-A. An exception to this is budding yeast, which have short, sequenced-defined point centromeres. In S. cerevisiae, a single CENP-A nucleosome is formed at the centromere and is sufficient for kinetochore assembly. The thermophilic budding yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus also has a point centromere, but its length is nearly double the S. cerevisiae centromere and the number of centromeric nucleosomes and kinetochore attachment sites is unknown. Purification of native kinetochores from K. marxianus yielded a mixed population, with one subpopulation that appeared to consist of doublets, making it unclear whether K. marxianus shares the same attachment architecture as S. cerevisiae. Here, we demonstrate that though the doublet kinetochores have a functional impact on kinetochore strength, kinetochore localization throughout the cell cycle appears conserved between these two yeasts. In addition, whole spindle electron tomography demonstrates that a single microtubule binds to each chromosome. Single-molecule nucleosome mapping analysis suggests the presence of a single centromeric nucleosome. Taken together, we propose that the K. marxianus point centromere assembles a single centromeric nucleosome that mediates attachment to one microtubule.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Simonich CAL, McMahon TE, Ju X, et al (2025)

RSV F evolution escapes some monoclonal antibodies but does not strongly erode neutralization by human polyclonal sera.

Journal of virology [Epub ahead of print].

Vaccines and monoclonal antibodies targeting the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein (F) have recently begun to be widely used to protect infants and high-risk adults. Some other viral proteins evolve to erode polyclonal antibody neutralization and escape individual monoclonal antibodies. However, the impact of RSV F evolution on antibody neutralization is not yet thoroughly understood. Here, we develop an experimental system for measuring neutralization titers against RSV F using pseudotyped lentiviral particles. This system is easily adaptable to evaluate neutralization of relevant clinical strains. We apply this system to demonstrate that the natural evolution of RSV F leads to escape from some monoclonal antibodies, but at most modestly affects neutralization by polyclonal serum antibodies. Overall, our work sheds light on RSV antigenic evolution and describes a tool to measure the ability of antibodies and sera to neutralize contemporary RSV strains.IMPORTANCEWe describe an efficient approach to measure how antibodies inhibit infection by historical and recent human strains of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This approach is useful for understanding how viral evolution affects antibody immunity. We apply this approach to demonstrate that RSV evolution can escape some monoclonal antibodies, but polyclonal serum antibodies are less impacted by viral evolution. This information is relevant given the recent development of RSV preventative measures, including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Orozco JJ, Matesan MC, Lundberg SJ, et al (2025)

Pretargeted Anti-CD20 Radioimmunotherapy with scFv Fusion Protein Safely Combines with BEAM and ASCT in patients with High-Risk B-cell Lymphomas.

Molecular cancer therapeutics pii:763418 [Epub ahead of print].

Despite new therapies, many patients with NHL relapse and need more effective salvage therapies. This study (NCT02483000) evaluated the safety of B9E9-FP, a tetrameric single-chain anti-CD20-streptavidin fusion protein used in pre-targeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT), when combined with BEAM and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for NHL patients. High-risk NHL patients received B9E9-FP on day -17, clearing agent on day -15, and DOTA-biotin (DOTA-Bt) equally divided and labeled with dose-escalated yttrium-90 (90Y), or with indium-111 (111In for imaging) on day -14. BEAM chemotherapy started day -7 before stem cell infusion. Three NHL patients (MCL, transformed DLBCL, and de novo DLBCL), ages 52-62 years, were treated with 30, 50, or 70 mCi (1110, 1850, or 2590 MBq) 90Y/m2 before ASCT without any dose-limiting toxicity. One case of diarrhea (grade 2) and one case of rash (grade 1) were possibly associated with B9E9-FP or DOTA-Bt, respectively. Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies showed peak blood biological percent injected dose per gram blood (% ID/g) of 90Y-DOTA-Bt at 15 min after infusion (14.8 - 49.4 % ID), with only 0.82 - 2.59 % ID after 72 hours. Uptake was preferential at bone marrow (1.73 - 5.96 cGy/mCi injected) and spleen (2.4 - 4.17 cGy/mCi injected) compared to lungs (0.19 - 0.48 cGy/mCi). Unbound 90Y-DOTA-Bt was excreted renally without any renal dysfunction noted up to 2 years later. Two of the 3 enrolled patients are alive and in remission 3.5 to 4.9 years after transplant. PK, dosimetry, and outcomes data support that B9E9-FP PRIT and 90Y-augmented ASCT DOTA-Bt is feasible.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Danilov AV, Li H, Shadman M, et al (2025)

Minimal residual disease status predicts outcomes in patients with follicular lymphoma treated with chemo-immunotherapy on the SWOG S0016 trial.

Haematologica [Epub ahead of print].

Not available.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Pearson RA, Krish KN, Whatney WE, et al (2025)

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals depletion and dysregulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific Th1 and Th17 cells early after acquisition of HIV.

The Journal of infectious diseases pii:8182910 [Epub ahead of print].

HIV significantly increases the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) and is associated with impaired CD4 T cell responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We evaluated the frequency and functional capacity of Mtb-specific CD4 T cells in individuals with and without HIV using flow cytometry and performed single-cell RNA sequencing on these cells longitudinally in a subset of individuals before and after acquisition of HIV. Our findings reveal preferential depletion and functional impairment of Mtb-specific CD4 T cells early after acquisition of HIV, characterized by reduced cytokine production, loss of effector functions, and transcriptional dysregulation. Mtb-specific Th1 and Th17 cells decreased, whereas TCF7+ stem-like cells were enriched following acquisition of HIV. Pathway analysis revealed upregulation of hypoxia and WNT signaling, and downregulation of cell adhesion, migration, antigen processing, and cytokine signaling pathways. These findings provide novel insights into HIV-mediated dysregulation of CD4 T cell responses to Mtb.

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Banjoko AW, Ng'uni T, Naidoo N, et al (2025)

High resolution class I HLA-A, -B, and -C diversity in Eastern and Southern African populations.

Scientific reports, 15(1):23667.

Africa, being one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, remains significantly underrepresented in high-resolution Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) data. The extensive genetic variation in HLA alleles across the region underscores the need for population-specific immunogenetic data to guide T-cell vaccine development. This study analysed Class I HLA data from Eastern and Southern African populations to assess regional genetic diversity. Analyses included allele and haplotype frequency distributions, deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, linkage disequilibrium, and homozygosity test of neutrality across various populations. To further contextualise African HLA diversity, comparisons were made among African populations and also with African American and European American populations using the Hellinger diversity index and multidimensional scaling methods. The results revealed that South African populations exhibited an estimated average of 34.1% genetic diversity with respect to other African populations. Rwanda demonstrated an estimated 26.9% genetic diversity, Kenya (26.5%), Zambia (26.5%), and Uganda (24.7%). Additionally, in-country analyses revealed variations in HLA diversity among different tribes within each country. The estimated average in-country diversity was 51% in Kenya, 35.8% in Uganda, and 33.2% in Zambia. These results reveal various levels of genetic diversity among African populations. The highlighted differences in HLA Class I allele frequencies between Eastern and Southern African populations compared to US populations, demonstrate that it is inappropriate to extrapolate HLA data from US populations including that of African Americans when designing T-cell-inducing vaccines tailored to African populations. Our findings underscore the urgent need to generate high-resolution HLA data to guide vaccine development tailored to African populations.

RevDate: 2025-07-02

Hyde ET, Evenson KR, Howard AG, et al (2025)

Sitting time and risk of cancer incidence and cancer mortality in postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Accelerometry Collaboration.

Cancer causes & control : CCC [Epub ahead of print].

PURPOSE: Few studies have explored whether accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior increases cancer risk. We examined the associations of accelerometer-measured daily sitting time and mean sitting bout duration classified by the Convolutional Neural Network Hip Accelerometer Posture (CHAP) machine-learned algorithm with incidence of any cancer, incidence of 13 physical activity-related cancers, and cancer mortality among postmenopausal women.

METHODS: We used data from 22,097 women (mean age = 73.3 years, standard deviation [SD] = 6.7) in the Women's Health Accelerometry Collaboration, a consortium of two US-based cohort studies of postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Study and the Women's Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Study. Women who completed hip-worn triaxial accelerometry for ≥ 4 of 7 consecutive days were included. Associations between sedentary behaviors and physician-adjudicated invasive cancer incidence and mortality were tested using Cox regression.

RESULTS: Women were followed on average 8.0 years to identify cancer cases (n = 1,861) and deaths (n = 601). Overall, mean sitting time was 567 (SD = 113) min/day and mean sitting bout duration was 12.8 (SD = 4) min/bout. In covariate-adjusted models, one-SD increment higher in sitting time was associated with a 6% increased risk of incident cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01-1.11); associations were similar for bout duration (HR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.00-1.10). Estimates were similar for the 13 physical activity-related cancers (sitting time: HR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.17; bout duration: HR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.14) and for cancer mortality (sitting time: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.98-1.16; bout duration: HR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.97-1.13).

CONCLUSION: Among postmenopausal women, sedentary behavior was associated with increased cancer risk, particularly for physical activity-related cancers and cancer mortality.

RevDate: 2025-07-04
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Stansfield SE, Moore M, Jamieson L, et al (2025)

Estimated impact of long-acting injectable PrEP in South Africa: a model comparison analysis.

Journal of the International AIDS Society, 28 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):e26453.

INTRODUCTION: Long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) demonstrated superiority to daily tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in two clinical trials. This analysis projects the impact of expanding PrEP coverage with CAB-LA in South Africa between 2022 and 2042.

METHODS: Three independently calibrated models of HIV transmission in South Africa (Synthesis, EMOD-HIV, Thembisa) projected HIV acquisitions and effective coverage (average PrEP coverage across exposure groups, weighted by HIV incidence in the absence of PrEP in each group) over 20 years under multiple scenarios of PrEP expansion compared to no PrEP expansion. PrEP expansion scenarios differed in targeted overall coverage, speed of expansion, coverage of high-exposure groups, and relative coverage of women and men.

RESULTS: Achieving 5% PrEP coverage with CAB-LA by 2032 prioritizing high-exposure groups resulted in 49% (Synthesis), 18% (EMOD-HIV), and 8% (Thembisa) effective coverage and averted a median of 43%, 29% and 10% of new HIV acquisitions, respectively. Similar expansion with TDF/FTC resulted in lower impact by 19 percentage points (pp), 18pp and 3pp, respectively. Increasing CAB-LA coverage to 15% led to an additional 7pp, 12pp and 16pp, respectively, of HIV acquisitions averted. Achieving 5% CAB-LA coverage expanding to women only resulted in a lower impact by 16pp (Synthesis) and 13pp (EMOD-HIV), and a higher impact by 2pp (Thembisa). Scenarios with similar effective coverage resulted in comparable impact estimates across models.

CONCLUSIONS: Offering CAB-LA in South Africa may substantially impact the HIV epidemic based on these projections. Effective coverage proved to be a good predictor of intervention effectiveness.

RevDate: 2025-07-02

Noller K, Botsis T, Camara PG, et al (2025)

Informatics at the Frontier of Cancer Research.

Cancer research pii:763401 [Epub ahead of print].

Digitized healthcare data, high-throughput profiling technologies, and data repositories have facilitated the emergence of a new era of cancer research. Each data stream requires specialized analysis methods for interpretation. The data-driven era of cancer research requires the development, enhancement, and sustainment of informatics technology software infrastructure, including fundamental methodology development in artificial intelligence and data science. We review current and emerging informatics technology developments for cancer research and discovery, spanning molecular and cellular characterization, image analysis, informatics, and therapeutics. Summarizing the diverse methods and applications of informatics throughout cancer research identifies themes and emerging areas for the next generation of cancer research.

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Grinsztejn B, Appay V, Bekker LG, et al (2025)

The science at HIVR4P 2024: The era of choice in biomedical HIV prevention.

Journal of the International AIDS Society, 28(7):e70001.

INTRODUCTION: HIVR4P 2024, the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, took place in Lima, Peru, 6-10 October 2024. The conference focused on new developments in HIV prevention from basic research to new product development and implementation science.

METHODS: Sessions were assigned to one of five tracks: basic science; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral (ARV)-based prevention; vaccines and broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs); applied and implementation science; and other prevention modalities and cross-cutting issues. A team of rapporteurs covered each track and identified conference highlights.

RESULTS: Strategies to elicit bNAb responses by vaccination are advancing to clinical trials, while combination bNAbs show promise as an alternative to ARV-based products. There is promising diversity in the PrEP product pipeline and twice-yearly lenacapavir has demonstrated exceptional efficacy, but barriers to widespread access and implementation remain, compounded by new challenges from the significant policy changes and funding reductions of the new US administration. Innovative ways of delivering PrEP to vulnerable communities that could benefit are being explored and, in some cases, have been successfully implemented.

DISCUSSION: Choice in HIV prevention products and differentiated delivery models that enable clients to select options that meet their preferences and changing needs is essential. Additionally, the involvement of the community throughout the design, implementation and dissemination process is necessary to maximize the impact of HIV prevention. Ensuring equitable access in a rapidly changing context will involve policy changes, partnerships with local organizations and addressing social determinants that impact health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS: We are in an era with more tools than ever before to prevent HIV acquisition; now, we need to facilitate collaborations between diverse stakeholders, including researchers, community members, policymakers, healthcare providers and funders. The future of HIV prevention should lie in a holistic approach that respects individual choice, enhances service accessibility and is flexible to meet evolving challenges and opportunities. However, policy changes since the conference ended have profoundly altered the HIV prevention landscape and threaten the advances described in this report.

RevDate: 2025-07-07
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Mangale DI, Heitner J, Ortblad KF, et al (2025)

Opportunity for cost savings with a novel differentiated model of PrEP delivery: a comparative costing analysis of six-month PrEP supported by interim HIV self-testing and standard of care PrEP dispensing in Kenya.

BMC health services research, 25(1):865.

BACKGROUND: Cost remains an important barrier to HIV pre-exposure prophlyaxis (PrEP) delivery in Africa. Simplified delivery models that reduce costs without compromising PrEP outcomes are needed. The JiPime-JiPrEP trial tested a model of six-month PrEP dispensing supported with interim HIV self-testing (HIVST) and found non-inferior HIV testing, PrEP refilling, and adherence compared to three-month PrEP dispensing and quarterly clinic visits, the standard-of-care (SOC). We estimated the cost of this novel differentiated PrEP delivery model compared to SOC in Kenya.

METHODS: Using activity-based micro-costing (payer perspective) and time-and-motion observations, we estimated the cost of PrEP delivery (per client-month) in the intervention and SOC between May 2018 to December 2019. Data from budgets and expense reports, published documents, and interviews informed our estimates. We calculated costs over a one-year horizon for: 1) the trial scenario (i.e., costs within the trial), and 2) the Ministy of Health (MOH) scenario (i.e., hypothetical costs at public clinics). Estimates were in 2019 US dollars and excluded research-related costs.

RESULTS: The mean personnel time attributable to PrEP delivery was 76 minutes per visit and 152 minutes projected over a year in the intervention and 54 minutes per visit and 282 minutes per year in the SOC. In the trial scenario, PrEP delivery cost $17.73 per client-month in the intervention (n=2039 PrEP-months) and $25.50 in the SOC (n=913 PrEP-months). The projected cost of PrEP delivery in the MOH scenario was $11.94 in the intervention and $14.76 in the SOC, with the addition of HIVST kits in the intervention more than offset by personnel savings. In this scenario, personnel (intervention: 55%; SOC: 44%) and medication (intervention: 16%; SOC: 32%) were the primary cost drivers. Including serum creatine testing twice a year in the MOH scenario resulted in a slight increase in the cost of PrEP delivery in the intervention ($12.88 per client-month) versus SOC ($16.17 per client-month).

CONCLUSIONS: Six-month PrEP with interim HIVST demonstrated lower costs than three-month dispensing, with decreased personnel time. Scale-up of PrEP delivery requires efficient use of limited resources; the savings in this model of PrEP delivery could be redirected towards currently unmet medical needs.

CLINIAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT03593629|| https://www.

CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ with the Clinical Trial Registry (Registration date: 2018-07-20).

RevDate: 2025-07-08
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Zheng Y, Caron DP, Kim JY, et al (2025)

ADTnorm: robust integration of single-cell protein measurement across CITE-seq datasets.

Nature communications, 16(1):5852.

Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by Sequencing (CITE-seq) enables paired measurement of surface protein and mRNA expression in single cells using antibodies conjugated to oligonucleotide tags. Due to the high copy number of surface protein molecules, sequencing antibody-derived tags (ADTs) allows for robust protein detection, improving cell-type identification. However, variability in antibody staining leads to batch effects in the ADT expression, obscuring biological variation, reducing interpretability, and obstructing cross-study analyses. Here, we present ADTnorm, a normalization and integration method designed explicitly for ADT abundance. Benchmarking against 14 existing scaling and normalization methods, we show that ADTnorm accurately aligns populations with negative- and positive-expression of surface protein markers across 13 public datasets, effectively removing technical variation across batches and improving cell-type separation. ADTnorm enables efficient integration of public CITE-seq datasets, each with unique experimental designs, paving the way for atlas-level analyses. Beyond normalization, ADTnorm includes built-in utilities to aid in automated threshold-gating as well as assessment of antibody staining quality for titration optimization and antibody panel selection. Applying ADTnorm to an antibody titration study, a published COVID-19 CITE-seq dataset, and a human hematopoietic progenitors study allowed for identifying previously undetected phenotype-associated markers, illustrating a broad utility in biological applications.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Luecken MD, Gigante S, Burkhardt DB, et al (2025)

Defining and benchmarking open problems in single-cell analysis.

RevDate: 2025-07-05
CmpDate: 2025-07-02

Cuénod A, Chac D, Khan AI, et al (2025)

Prevalent chromosome fusion in Vibrio cholerae O1.

Nature communications, 16(1):5830.

Two circular chromosomes are a defining feature of the bacterial family Vibrionaceae, including the pathogen Vibrio cholerae, with rare reports of isolates with a single, fused chromosome. Here, we use long-read sequencing to analyse 467 V. cholerae O1 isolates from 47 cholera patients and household contacts in Bangladesh. We identify several independent chromosome fusion events that are likely transmissible within a household. Fusions occur in a 12 kilobase-pair homologous sequence shared between the two chromosomes and are stable for at least 200 generations under laboratory conditions. We find no detectable effect of fusion on V. cholerae growth, virulence factor expression, or biofilm formation. The factors promoting fusion, affecting chromosome stability, and subtle phenotypic or clinical consequences merit further investigation.

RevDate: 2025-07-02

Grivas P, HH Moon (2025)

A Podcast on Real-World Evidence with Avelumab First-Line Maintenance and Treatment Sequencing in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma.

Avelumab first-line maintenance is an approved treatment for cisplatin-eligible or -ineligible patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) who are progression free following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, based on the results of the JAVELIN Bladder 100 phase 3 trial. In recent years, an increasing number of real-world studies have examined the effectiveness and safety of avelumab first-line maintenance in heterogeneous populations from different countries, expanding the clinical evidence base. In this podcast, we discuss findings from these real-world studies, which have complemented clinical trials and provided additional insights about overall effectiveness, treatment sequencing involving second-line enfortumab vedotin monotherapy or other options, and healthcare resource utilization. We also briefly discuss the evolving treatment landscape in advanced UC in addition to benefits and limitations of real-world studies in general. Overall, across multiple studies involving more than 3000 patients worldwide, real-world outcomes with avelumab first-line maintenance treatment have been consistent with findings from the JAVELIN Bladder 100 trial, confirming the clinical benefits of this treatment approach for patients with advanced UC who are encountered in day-to-day practice.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Clark ML, Simeonov KP, Mowel WK, et al (2025)

Mitochondrial complex IV remodeling in tumor-associated macrophages amplifies interferon signaling and promotes anti-tumor immunity.

Immunity pii:S1074-7613(25)00275-4 [Epub ahead of print].

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) influence tumor progression and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) efficacy. Interferon (IFN)-TAMs predict better survival and ICB responses, yet the mechanisms governing IFN-TAMs remain unclear. Here, we identify NDUFA4, a complex IV subunit of the electron transport chain, as a functional switch controlling TAM function and anti-tumor immunity. NDUFA4 expression sustained pro-tumoral TAMs. However, intratumoral IFNs decreased NDUFA4 expression in TAMs via the cooperative action of NDUFA4L3 and miR-147, co-encoded by a conserved bifunctional transcript. Mechanistically, NDUFA4 repression increased mitochondrial DNA release into the cytoplasm and subsequent STING activation, thereby amplifying anti-tumor IFN-induced transcriptional programs in TAMs. Finally, we designed RNA-based therapeutics that leveraged the specificity of miR-147 for the Ndufa4 transcript to enhance ICB efficacy and inhibit B16 melanoma tumor growth. These findings uncover mitochondrial complex IV remodeling as a critical mechanism governing the functional adaptation of macrophages to distinct microenvironments with broad implications for immunotherapy.

RevDate: 2025-07-01

Levis MJ, Hamadani M, Logan BR, et al (2025)

Impact of transplant conditioning, NPM1 mutations, and measurable residual disease in FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia.

Blood advances pii:538038 [Epub ahead of print].

We conducted a post-hoc analysis of data from BMT CTN 1506 (MORPHO), a randomized trial of gilteritinib versus placebo as post-transplantation maintenance for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), focusing the interactions between conditioning regimen intensity, measurable residual disease (MRD), and NPM1 co-mutation status reported from diagnosis. Comparing FLT3-ITD MRD before and after conditioning, there was no difference between myeloablative conditioning (MAC) and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) in eradication or reduction of FLT3-ITD MRD. For participants who were FLT3-ITD MRD-negative pre-HCT, there was no difference in the cumulative incidence of relapse during follow-up between those receiving MAC versus RIC. NPM1 co-mutation was associated with the largest magnitude of relapse-free survival benefit from post-HCT gilteritinib, and in these participants, post-HCT gilteritinib in the setting of RIC appeared to be as effective as MAC at preventing relapse. Only in participants who were NPM1 wild-type at diagnosis and were FLT3-ITD MRD-positive prior to HCT did MAC appear superior to RIC in preventing relapse. Our findings suggest that only a subset of patients with FLT3-ITD AML undergoing HCT may benefit from myeloablative conditioning, and that, much like AML therapy prior to HCT, the intensity of the HCT regimen should be adapted according to the molecular features of the disease. (NCT02997202).

RevDate: 2025-07-01

Søgaard MT, Tseng D, Gibbs S, et al (2025)

T cell receptor profiling of blood to detect lung cancer.

Cancer immunology research pii:763402 [Epub ahead of print].

The blood T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire broadly reflects current and lifetime immune responses against infectious pathogens and cancer, but the circulating T cell repertoire remains a largely untapped resource for cancer biomarker studies due to repertoire complexity and limited profiling data. Here, we investigated the use of blood TCR sequencing for early detection of lung cancer. We sequenced the leukocyte fraction of peripheral blood from 633 individuals divided into a case-control (n=511) and a lung cancer screening cohort (n=122) representing over 12.6 million unique clonotypes. Based on the TCR repertoires in these individuals, we devised a Tumor Immune Lymphocyte Score (TILS) using either TCR specificity groups (TILS-A) or highly recurrent, 'public' TCR clonotypes (TILS-B) capable of detecting lung cancer. TILS-A consisted of 125 TCR specificity groups that outperformed the TILS-B classifier of 49 public, TCR(?)-V(?)-defined clonotypes for cancer detection. TILS classifiers provided predictive value after accounting for age, smoking status and nodule size in the lung cancer screening cohort and improved cancer prediction for individuals with indeterminate lung cancer risk. In the subgroup analysis, TILS-A was associated with lung cancer in both early- and late-stage disease, had improved accuracy when accounting for HLA status and was validated in an external dataset studying lung cancer initiation. Collectively, these data suggest that profiles of the circulating T cell response can provide value for lung cancer detection and supports its use as a diagnostic tool.

RevDate: 2025-07-01

Brown TT, Arao RF, Warsi M, et al (2025)

Bone Changes With Long-Acting Cabotegravir or Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate/Emtricitabine for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Men and Transgender Women: HPTN 083.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America pii:8180179 [Epub ahead of print].

In a randomized clinical trial, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) had a better bone safety profile than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-emtricitabine (TDF-FTC) over 105 weeks. For individuals with low bone mineral density or other fracture risk factors, CAB-LA PrEP should be considered over TDF-based PrEP. Clinical Trials Registration. clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02720094).

RevDate: 2025-07-04
CmpDate: 2025-07-01

Wright JD, Prest MT, Ferris JS, et al (2025)

Projected Trends in the Incidence and Mortality of Uterine Cancer in the United States.

Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 34(7):1156-1166.

BACKGROUND: To develop a natural history model for uterine cancer calibrated to population-based incidence and mortality data to project future trends in the disease through 2050.

METHODS: We developed a state-transition microsimulation model of uterine cancer. The model begins at 18 years of age and simulates Black and White patients, includes transition states for precursor lesions, and separately models endometrioid and nonendometrioid tumors. The model was calibrated to population-based incidence and mortality data using parameter extrapolation.

RESULTS: The model closely fit population-based incidence and mortality data of uterine cancer. From 2020 to 2050, the incidence of uterine cancer is projected to increase in White women to 74.2 cases per 100,000 (compared with 57.7 cases per 100,000 in 2018) and increase to 86.9 per 100,000 (compared with 56.8 cases per 100,000 in 2018) in Black women. Among White women, incidence-based mortality will increase from 6.1 per 100,000 in 2018 to 11.2 per 100,000 in 2050, whereas incidence-based mortality in Black women will increase from 14.1 per 100,000 to 27.9 per 100,000. Endometrioid tumors are expected to increase considerably in both White and Black women; White women will experience only a slight increase in nonendometrioid tumors, whereas the incidence of these tumors will increase substantially in Black women.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence and mortality of uterine cancer are projected to increase substantially over the next three decades. Black women will experience a disproportionate increase in the disease.

IMPACT: Projecting the incidence and mortality of uterine cancer can facilitate future cancer control efforts.

RevDate: 2025-07-03

Banerjee R, Hosoya H, Mikkilineni L, et al (2025)

Managing IEC-associated enterocolitis following CAR-T therapy in multiple myeloma.

Blood cancer journal, 15(1):112.

RevDate: 2025-07-04
CmpDate: 2025-06-30

Patel SP, Fisher J, Chae YK, et al (2025)

Phase II basket trial of Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in Rare Tumors (DART) SWOG S1609: pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (PNEN) cohort.

Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 13(6):.

PURPOSE: SWOG S1609 Dual Anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in Rare Tumors (DART) studied the efficacy of ipilimumab combined with nivolumab across multiple rare tumor types. We report the results of the pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (PNEN) cohort.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Treatment consisted of ipilimumab 1 mg/kg intravenously every 6 weeks with nivolumab 240 mg intravenously every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) (Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid TumorsRECIST V.1.1). Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity. Clinical benefit rate (includes ORR plus stable disease (SD)>6 months was examined. Correlative studies were performed. The trial was conducted by the National Cancer Institute/Southwest Oncology Group Early Therapeutics and Rare Cancers Committee and opened at >1,000 sites.

RESULTS: 19 patients with PNEN were enrolled. The median number of lines of prior therapy was 2 (range: 0-4). The ORR was 11% (2/19 patients); the clinical benefit rate (CBR; stable disease >6 months+partial response+complete response), 26% (5/19). The median PFS was 3 months; median OS, 24 months. The longest PFSs were 26 (intermediate grade PNEN), 31 (low grade) and 39+months (intermediate grade). The most common toxicities were fatigue (47% of patients) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation (32%); the most common grade 3/4 immune-related adverse event (AE) was AST (32%) and bilirubin elevation (26%), with no grade 5 events. Programmed death-ligand 1 expression by chromogenic immunohistochemistry (N=12 patients assessed) did not associate with ORR; tumor mutation burden (TMB) was high in three patients; one of the two patients with partial remission (PFS=26 months) had high TMB (150 mutations/mb). Peripheral effector memory T-cell activation (N=11 patients assessed by cytometry by time-of-flight with 5 having longitudinal analysis) was associated with response, though the number of patients evaluated was limited.

CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose ipilimumab plus nivolumab demonstrated an 11% ORR and 26% CBR (includes SD>6 months) in patients with refractory PNEN, with durable benefit (>2 years) in 3 (16%) patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02834013.

RevDate: 2025-06-30

Glover R, Yeboah B, Vassallo RR, et al (2025)

It is time to eliminate the one-hour corrected count increment in the diagnostic workup of platelet transfusion refractoriness.

RevDate: 2025-07-02

Brittain JS, Tsui J, Inward R, et al (2025)

GRAPEVNE - Graphical Analytical Pipeline Development Environment for Infectious Diseases.

Wellcome open research, 10:279.

The increase in volume and diversity of relevant data on infectious diseases and their drivers provides opportunities to generate new scientific insights that can support 'real-time' decision-making in public health across outbreak contexts and enhance pandemic preparedness. However, utilising the wide array of clinical, genomic, epidemiological, and spatial data collected globally is difficult due to differences in data preprocessing, data science capacity, and access to hardware and cloud resources. To facilitate large-scale and routine analyses of infectious disease data at the local level (i.e. without sharing data across borders), we developed GRAPEVNE (Graphical Analytical Pipeline Development Environment), a platform enabling the construction of modular pipelines designed for complex and repetitive data analysis workflows through an intuitive graphical interface. Built on the Snakemake workflow management system, GRAPEVNE streamlines the creation, execution, and sharing of analytical pipelines. Its modular approach already supports a diverse range of scientific applications, including genomic analysis, epidemiological modeling, and large-scale data processing. Each module in GRAPEVNE is a self-contained Snakemake workflow, complete with configurations, scripts, and metadata, enabling interoperability. The platform's open-source nature ensures ongoing community-driven development and scalability. GRAPEVNE empowers researchers and public health institutions by simplifying complex analytical workflows, fostering data-driven discovery, and enhancing reproducibility in computational research. Its user-driven ecosystem encourages continuous innovation in biomedical and epidemiological research but is applicable beyond that. Key use-cases include automated phylogenetic analysis of viral sequences, real-time outbreak monitoring, forecasting, and epidemiological data processing. For instance, our dengue virus pipeline demonstrates end-to-end automation from sequence retrieval to phylogeographic inference, leveraging established bioinformatics tools which can be deployed to any geographical context. For more details, see documentation at: https://grapevne.readthedocs.io.

RevDate: 2025-06-29

Harlass M, Knudsen AB, Nieboer D, et al (2025)

Benefits of colorectal cancer screening using FIT with varying positivity thresholds by age and sex.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute pii:8172370 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Fecal immunochemical test (FIT) performance for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening varies by age and sex, yet most FIT-based screening programs use uniform thresholds. This study assessed the potential benefits of stratifying FIT thresholds based on age and sex.

METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of FIT sensitivity and specificity at various positivity thresholds by age and sex. We then used these estimates in two microsimulation models of CRC and projected lifetime clinical outcomes, incremental costs, and quality-adjusted life-years gained (QALYG) from age- and sex-stratified FIT strategies. FIT thresholds ranged from 10 to 50 µg hemoglobin/g feces (µg/g).

RESULTS: For current uniform FIT screening (20 µg/g), models projected 85.67 to 122.15 QALYG at incremental costs of -$982 to $504 per 1,000 individuals compared to no screening. At equivalent costs to current uniform screening, only one model found stratified FIT approaches cost-effective, yielding a marginal increase of 1.04 and 1.10 QALYG/1,000 females and males, respectively. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALYG, both models found stratified FIT cut-offs to be the best strategy, with cut-offs being equal or higher for men and lowest at older ages. Uniform strategies showed comparable effectiveness, falling within one quality-adjusted life day per person of efficient strategies at up to $112 more per person. Results were sensitive to FIT test performance characteristics and one-time setup costs.

CONCLUSION: Stratifying FIT thresholds by age and sex may be cost-effective compared to current screening. However, the gain in expected health benefits with stratified FIT screening is likely small.

RevDate: 2025-07-08

Maurice NJ, Erickson JR, DeJong CS, et al (2025)

Cytokine and metabolite networks shape T cell residency and functionality at the term human maternal-fetal interface.

Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) pii:8172046 [Epub ahead of print].

Placentation presents immune conflict between mother and fetus, yet in normal pregnancy maternal immunity against infection is maintained without expense to fetal tolerance. This is believed to result from adaptations at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI), which affect T cell programming, but the identities (i.e. memory subsets and antigenic specificities) of T cells and the signals that mediate T cell fates and functions at the MFI remain poorly understood. We found intact recruitment programs as well as proinflammatory cytokine networks that can act on maternal T cells in an antigen-independent manner. These inflammatory signals elicit T cell expression of costimulatory receptors necessary for tissue retention, which can be engaged by local macrophages. Although proinflammatory molecules elicit T cell effector functions, we show that additional cytokine (transforming growth factor β1) and metabolite (kynurenine) networks may converge to tune T cell function to those of sentinels. Together, these data demonstrate that T cells at the MFI are broadly recruited and restrained in an antigen-independent, cytokine/metabolite-dependent manner. These mechanisms provide insight into antigen-nonspecific T cell regulation, especially in tissue microenvironments in which they are enriched.

RevDate: 2025-07-04

Kalkeri R, Zhu M, Cloney-Clark S, et al (2025)

Anti-spike IgG4 and Fc effector responses: The impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine platform-specific priming and immune imprinting.

The Journal of infection, 91(2):106543 pii:S0163-4453(25)00137-9 [Epub ahead of print].

Proportional increases in anti-Spike (S) IgG4 associated with decreased Fc effector functions have been reported following repeated mRNA, but not recombinant protein-based (rS) (NVX-CoV2373, Novavax, Inc.), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We demonstrate the first evidence of a negative correlation between anti-S IgG4 and neutralizing antibody (nAb), as well as antibody-dependent surrogate Fc effector functions. Priming with two NVX-CoV2373 vaccines followed by a third dose was associated with higher IgG1 and IgG3, lower IgG4, higher nAb titers and surrogate Fc effector functions versus mRNA. Immune imprinting of anti-S IgG4 and nAbs, and Fc effector function imprinting after mRNA priming was observed. This effect was partially overcome by updated XBB.1.5 protein subunit vaccination, but not by ancestral vaccine strains. We establish correlation of anti-S IgG4 responses to reduced nAbs and surrogate Fc effector functions and demonstrate the impact of additional booster vaccination on subsequent immune response and Fc effector functions in the context of ancestral and XBB.1.5 strains.

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ESP Quick Facts

ESP Origins

In the early 1990's, Robert Robbins was a faculty member at Johns Hopkins, where he directed the informatics core of GDB — the human gene-mapping database of the international human genome project. To share papers with colleagues around the world, he set up a small paper-sharing section on his personal web page. This small project evolved into The Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project.

ESP Support

In 1995, Robbins became the VP/IT of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA. Soon after arriving in Seattle, Robbins secured funding, through the ELSI component of the US Human Genome Project, to create the original ESP.ORG web site, with the formal goal of providing free, world-wide access to the literature of classical genetics.

ESP Rationale

Although the methods of molecular biology can seem almost magical to the uninitiated, the original techniques of classical genetics are readily appreciated by one and all: cross individuals that differ in some inherited trait, collect all of the progeny, score their attributes, and propose mechanisms to explain the patterns of inheritance observed.

ESP Goal

In reading the early works of classical genetics, one is drawn, almost inexorably, into ever more complex models, until molecular explanations begin to seem both necessary and natural. At that point, the tools for understanding genome research are at hand. Assisting readers reach this point was the original goal of The Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project.

ESP Usage

Usage of the site grew rapidly and has remained high. Faculty began to use the site for their assigned readings. Other on-line publishers, ranging from The New York Times to Nature referenced ESP materials in their own publications. Nobel laureates (e.g., Joshua Lederberg) regularly used the site and even wrote to suggest changes and improvements.

ESP Content

When the site began, no journals were making their early content available in digital format. As a result, ESP was obliged to digitize classic literature before it could be made available. For many important papers — such as Mendel's original paper or the first genetic map — ESP had to produce entirely new typeset versions of the works, if they were to be available in a high-quality format.

ESP Help

Early support from the DOE component of the Human Genome Project was critically important for getting the ESP project on a firm foundation. Since that funding ended (nearly 20 years ago), the project has been operated as a purely volunteer effort. Anyone wishing to assist in these efforts should send an email to Robbins.

ESP Plans

With the development of methods for adding typeset side notes to PDF files, the ESP project now plans to add annotated versions of some classical papers to its holdings. We also plan to add new reference and pedagogical material. We have already started providing regularly updated, comprehensive bibliographies to the ESP.ORG site.

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Cancer is the generic name for more than 100 diseases in which cells begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner. Usually, when cells get too old or damaged, they die and new cells take their place. Cancer begins when genetic changes impair this orderly process so that some cells start to grow uncontrollably. The Emperor of All Maladies is a "biography" of cancer — from its first documented appearances thousands of years ago through the epic battles in the twentieth century to cure, control, and conquer it to a radical new understanding of its essence. This is a must read book for anyone with an interest in cancer. R. Robbins

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Papers in Classical Genetics

The ESP began as an effort to share a handful of key papers from the early days of classical genetics. Now the collection has grown to include hundreds of papers, in full-text format.

Digital Books

Along with papers on classical genetics, ESP offers a collection of full-text digital books, including many works by Darwin and even a collection of poetry — Chicago Poems by Carl Sandburg.

Timelines

ESP now offers a large collection of user-selected side-by-side timelines (e.g., all science vs. all other categories, or arts and culture vs. world history), designed to provide a comparative context for appreciating world events.

Biographies

Biographical information about many key scientists (e.g., Walter Sutton).

Selected Bibliographies

Bibliographies on several topics of potential interest to the ESP community are automatically maintained and generated on the ESP site.

ESP Picks from Around the Web (updated 28 JUL 2024 )