Project description:To identify critical tumor-secreting factors that may contribute to immunotherapy efficacy against HCC, we subjected tumor samples from 10 HCC patients to whole-transcriptome sequencing, and categorized the patients into two groups according to clinical response to nivolumab. We then performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq of Nivolumab reponders and non-reponsers.
Project description:Resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in cancer patients is not fully understood and predictive biomarkers are lacking. MELANFα (NCT03348891) is an open-label, prospective, multicenter cohort of 60 patients with advanced melanoma receiving ICI (bitherapy: ipilimumab + nivolumab; monotherapy: pembrolizumab or nivolumab). In this study we collected blood from patients taken at baseline (week0) and 6 weeks after treatment initiation (week6), isolated peripheral blood monuclear cells and assessed the impact of treatment systemic immune responses to identify potential markers of response/resistance.
Project description:Background Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) has greatly improved the prognosis of advanced melanoma. Whereas the efficacy in Japanese patients has been found to be lower than Caucasian, the genomic and transcriptomic features associated with response to ICI of Japanese melanomas remain to be elucidated. Patients and methods Total 129 tumour samples from 78 melanoma patients, who received therapeutic regimens with or without ICI treatment, were collected at 13 institutions in Japan. We performed exome and RNA sequencing and investigated the association of genomic and transcriptomic factors with clinical efficacy of ICI therapy. Time-course data were also analysed. This is the first and largest genomic cohort study for Japanese melanoma, in which tumour samples were prospectively analysed. Results Number of somatic SNVs of Japanese melanomas is lower than that of TCGA Caucasian data due to the biased distribution of WHO subtypes. Driver subtypes of BRAF, NRAS and NF1 was less prevalent but Triple Wildtype predominantly existed in the Japanese cohort. Whereas exome-wide survey revealed no significant association of mutated genes with ICI response, by transcriptomic analysis we identified inflammation-associated genes including several chemokines and cytokines were highly expressed in responders. Follicular helper T cells estimated by immune-cell composition analysis were found significantly enriched in responders (p = 0.0422). Through time-course transcriptome analysis, in addition to several cytotoxic T-cell genes as previously reported, MARCO on tumour-associated macrophages was found induced by ICI treatment in responders (p = 0.0040). The protein expression of these genes was confirmed by immunohistochemical and multiplex immunofluorescent analyses. Some of these genes can be useful biomarkers for prediction of ICI response in the treatment of Japanese melanoma. Conclusions Through prospective genomic and transcriptomic analyses of Japanese melanoma samples, candidate biomarkers for ICI treatment were identified.
Project description:PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining has been not always enough reliable to accurately predict the response to immunotherapy; thus, and other biomarkers are required. In this context qualitative and quantitative multiparametric analyses seems promising. Data on the activity of nivolumab in challenging populations (e.g patients with autoimmune disorders; post-organ transplant; chronic viral infections; ongoing immunosuppressant use; elderly) are scant, mainly due to their underrepresentation in clinical trials. Nonetheless, it has been demonstrated that the use of ICI is safe and effective in HIV oncologic patients. Herein, we analyzed a metastatic HNSCC patient with an idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia who, after a recovery from a progressive multifocal leukoencephalopaty received 10 courses of nivolumab and obtained a complete remission maintaining the response two years after PD-1 blockade withdrawn.
Project description:The study includes 14 patients with confirmed JMML and known somatic mutations (from exome data of paired tumoral and germline DNA). Bone marrow or peripheral blood mononucleated cells were injected in immundeficient mice to recapitulate the leukemia. Whole exome sequencing was performed in xenograft samples to control the persistance of patients' known mutations and look for new mutations acquired in xenograft sample.
Project description:Novel perioperative strategies are needed to reduce recurrence rates in patients undergoing nephrectomy for high-risk, non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We conducted a prospective, phase I trial of neoadjuvant nivolumab prior to nephrectomy in 15 evaluable patients with non-metastatic ccRCC. We leveraged tissue from that cohort to elucidate the effects of PD-1 inhibition on immune cell populations in ccRCC and correlate the evolving immune milieu with anti-PD-1 response. We found that nivolumab durably induces a pro-inflammatory state within the primary tumor, and baseline immune infiltration within the primary tumor correlates with nivolumab responsiveness. Nivolumab increases CTLA-4 expression in the primary tumor, and subsequent nephrectomy increases circulating concentrations of sPD-L1, sPD-L3 (sB7-H3), and s4-1BB. These findings form the basis to consider neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) for high-risk ccRCC while the tumor remains in situ and provide the rationale for perioperative strategies of novel ICI combinations.
Project description:Whole exome sequencing was performed on set of 48 DNA samples obtained from 16 EGFR mutated NSCLC patients whose tumors progressed following EGFR-TKI treatment. The DNA samples included baseline biopsy, rebiopsy and blood from the same patient. By comparing the variants in rebiopsy tumors and baseline tumors we aim to understand the genomic alterations responsible for the development of EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC patients.