Project description:Gene expression profiling of CMS4 colon cancer treated with Imatinib in the ImPACCT study. Fresh-frozen biopsies were taken during diagnostic colonoscopy for CMS4 identification. Five patients gave informed consent for two week of neoadjuvant Imatinib therapy prior to removal of the primary tumor. Fresh-frozen samples were taken from surgically resected colon cancer specimens.
Project description:<p>The primary goal of this study was to collect and analyze genomic data from primary glioblastoma multiforme tumors. Our collaborators at St David's Medical Center (SDMC) obtained informed consent from patients undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in the brain. After consent was obtained, specimens were removed from the operating suite and flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. Tumors were analyzed if they were a grade III (anaplastic astrocytoma) or grade IV glioma (glioblastoma multiforme). Tumors were transported from SDMC to UT Austin, then weighed and homogenized. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed for 7 proteins in each tumor (histone modifications H3K4me3, H3K4me1, H3K9ac, H3K9me3, H3K27ac, H3K27me3, and the multifunctional insulator binding protein CTCF) and no-antibody input was also sequenced. An aliquot of tumor material was set aside for isolation of total RNA.</p>
Project description:Purpose: Gene expression signatures developed to measure the activity of oncogenic signaling pathways have been used to dissect the heterogeneity of tumor samples and to predict sensitivity to various cancer drugs that target components of the relevant pathways, thus potentially identifying therapeutic options for subgroups of patients. To facilitate broad use, including in a clinical setting, the ability to generate data from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues is essential. Experimental Design: Patterns of pathway activity in matched fresh-frozen and FFPE xenograft tumor samples were generated using the MessageAmp Premier methodology in combination with assays using Affymetrix arrays. Results generated were compared with those obtained from fresh-frozen samples using a standard Affymetrix assay. In addition, gene expression data from patient matched fresh-frozen and FFPE melanomas were also utilized to evaluate the consistency of predictions of oncogenic signaling pathway status. Results: Significant correlation of pathway activity predictions was observed between paired fresh-frozen and FFPE xenograft tumor samples. In addition, significant concordance of pathway activity predictions was also observed between patient matched fresh-frozen and FFPE melanomas. Conclusion: Reliable and consistent predictions of oncogenic pathway activities can be obtained from FFPE tumor tissue samples. The ability to reliably utilize FFPE patient tumor tissue samples for genomic analyses will lead to a better understanding of the biology of disease progression and, in the clinical setting, will provide tools to guide the choice of therapeutics to those most likely to be effective in treating a patient’s disease.
Project description:Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults and due to the invasive nature it cannot be completely removed. We have recently shown that the WNT inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1), a secreted inhibitor of WNTs, is downregulated in glioblastoma and acts as strong tumor suppressor. In search of a mediator for this function differential gene expression profiles of WIF1-expressing cells were performed. MALAT1, a long non-coding RNA and key positive regulator of invasion, emerged as the top downregulated gene. Indeed, knock-down of MALAT1 reduced migration in glioblastoma cells, without effect on proliferation. LN-229 cells induced with Doxocyclin to express WIF1 were compared to the non-induced control (two biological replicates each)
Project description:149 unpaired initial tumor samples (133/149 FFPE and 16/149 fresh frozen samples) of lFL patients measured with OncoScan SNP microarrays, Affymetrix CEL intensity data file types (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA)