Project description:CTCs contain a small subset of metastatic precursors that can form metastases in secondary organs, and provide a resource to identify mechanisms underlying metastasis-initiating properties. Despite technological advancements that allow for highly sensitive approaches of detection and isolation, CTCs are very rare and often present as single cells, posing an extreme challenge for ex vivo expansion after isolation. Here, using previously established patient-derived CTC lines, we performed a small molecule drug screening to identify compounds that can improve ex vivo culture efficiency for single CTCs. We found that N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and other antioxidants can promote ex vivo expansion of single CTCs, facilitating subsequent functional analyses.
Project description:The process of lung squamous carcinoma tumorigenesis and metastasis is poorly characterized. Additionally, few models of this process exist in an immune-competent context. In order to address this problem, we utilized the KLN-205 lung squamous carcinoma cell lines that is derived from carcinogen exposure in DBA2 mice. We used healthy bronchial epithelial cells from adult DBA2 mice as a healthy control. Following an in vivo selection strategy to enrich for metastatic subclones (LN2-2, LN4-2, LN4K1), we used Affymetrix murine microarrays to study differentially expressed genes as the cells go from heathy, to tumorigenic but poorly metastatic to tumorigenic and highly metastatic (LN4K1).
Project description:Gene Expression Profiling of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) was performed to delineate candidate genes clusters with potential to distinguish normal and tumor tissue from oral cavity. All tissue samples were collected after obtaining written informed consent.
Project description:Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by malignant myeloid precursors that span a cellular hierarchy from dedifferentiated leukemic stem cells to mature blasts. While the diagnostic and prognostic importance of AML blast maturation is increasingly recognized, personalized therapies are currently not tailored to a patient’s individual makeup of this cellular hierarchy. In this study, we use multiplexed image-based ex vivo drug screening (pharmacoscopy) to systematically quantify the drug sensitivity across the cellular hierarchy of AML patients. We analyzed 174 prospective and longitudinal patient samples from 44 newly diagnosed AML patients, which indicated that differences in the AML hierarchy significantly identified poor responses to first-line therapy, outperforming European LeukemiaNet (ELN) criteria. Critically, drug response profiling across the AML hierarchy of each patient improved the accuracy of predicting patient response to first-line therapy (AUC 0.91), and revealed alternative individualized treatment options targeting the complete AML hierarchy of non-responding patients. We confirmed these findings in an independent cohort of 26 relapsed/refractory AML patients, for whom pan-hierarchy response profiling improved response predictions post hoc. Overall, our results quantify the clinical importance of therapeutically targeting the complete cellular hierarchy of newly diagnosed AML, and identify multiplexed image-based ex vivo drug screening to enable quantification and targeting of the AML maturation hierarchy for improved personalized treatment.
Project description:Human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently the most identifiable cause of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounting for approximately 25% of these cases. HPV+ cancer incidence is on the rise with metastatic disease accounting for nearly all HPV+ HNSCC related deaths. Thus, developing a relevant in vivo pre-clinical model for these invasive cancers is necessary for testing new disease therapeutics and improving survival. To this end, we characterize a novel metastatic HPV+ murine model of HNSCC. Individual metastatic clonal cell lines were isolated from an animal with late pulmonary metastasis that developed recurrent disease after standard of care cisplatin-radiation therapy. Similar to the parental cells, all metastatic cell lines retain expression of HPV16 E6 and E7 oncogenes and degrade P53. While the in vitro growth rates of these metastatic clones are slower than the parental tumor line their in vivo growth is greatly enhanced. Moreover, resistance to standard therapies (cisplatin and radiation) is dramatically increased in 3 of the 4 clones in vivo. Lymphatic and/or lung metastasis occurs 100% of the time in 2 of the clonal lines while it is nearly undetectable in the parental line. In addition, expression and protein array analyses were completed to investigate the mechanisms driving these phenotypic changes. This model not only provides an economical and rapid screening system in which to develop and test improved therapeutic regimens but may also provide mechanistic insights into tumor metastasis.
Project description:Screening and identification of novel biomarkers affecting the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by whole-transcriptome sequencing of 6 pairs of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues and adjacent tissues
Project description:The effects of Candida albicans on the metastatic activity of oral squamous cell carcinoma was observed in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro experimental setup HO-1-N-1 and HSC-2 human oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines were treated with zymosan, heat-killed Candida albicans, heat-killed C. parapsilosis, live C. albicans and live C. parapsilosis. Whole transcriptomics was performed of the human tumor cells. In the in vivo experiment human HSC-2 tumor cells were injected to the tongue of mice. Whole transcriptomic analysis was performed of the human HSC-2 derived tumor cells comparing control tumor and oral candidiasis treated tumor.
Project description:Macrophages have emerged as promising therapeutic targets for regulating immune microenvironments. However, tissue-isolated macrophages are plagued by poor survival, which limits the therapeutic efficacy and prevents thorough drug screening and model development. Therefore, developing strategies aimed at prolonging primary macrophage survival is imperative for realizing macrophage therapies and understanding macrophage behavior. We discovered that nanoparticle dosing significantly enhances ex vivo survival of primary macrophages, which is attributed to suppression of apoptosis and is linked to downstream phagocytosis and lysosomal signaling. We report that macrophage survival because of phagocytosis of nanoparticles fabricated with immunologically inert materials does not alter macrophage polarization or lead to aberrant activation. These findings provide a framework for extending the lifespan of primary macrophages ex vivo for drug screening, vaccine studies, and cell therapies.
Project description:To identify differentially expressed genes in tumor tissues, several human cancer tissues (hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma) were subjected to Agilent whole genome microarrays. A total of nine pairs of primary hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma samples and adjacent normal mucosa were obtained from patients who underwent tumor resection at Chiba University Hospital (Chiba, Japan). A total of seven pairs of primary maxillary sinus squamous cell carcinoma samples and adjacent normal mucosa were obtained from patients who underwent tumor resection at Chiba University Hospital (Chiba, Japan). A total of five pairs of renal cell carcinoma samples and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from patients who underwent tumor resection at Kagoshima University Hospital (Kagoshima, Japan). The Ethics Committee of Chiba University and the Bioethics Committee of Kagoshima University approved our study, and informed consent was obtained from all patients for use of their tissue samples and clinical data. The tissue samples were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C until use.