Project description:How stroma communicates with cancer to influence treatment response is poorly understood. We show that stromal fibroblasts protect breast cancer (BrCa) against radiation and chemotherapy through an exosome-mediated anti-viral pathway and NOTCH3. Stroma increases RAB27B and transfers exosomes to BrCa. RNA within exosomes, comprised largely of non-coding transcripts and transposable elements, stimulates the pattern recognition receptor RIG-I through a 5M-bM-^@M-^Y-triphosphate motif to activate STAT1. BrCa NOTCH3 is activated in parallel by stromal JAG1 and cooperates with STAT1 to enhance transcriptional responses of NOTCH target genes and to expand therapy resistant tumor-initiating cells. Computational modeling using primary human and mouse BrCa supports the interaction of anti-viral/NOTCH3 pathways in controlling NOTCH target genes and treatment resistance, particularly in basal subtype tumors. Gamma secretase inhibitors reverse stromal protection and abrogate radiation resistance in vivo. Thus, stroma orchestrates an intricate cross-talk with BrCa by utilizing exosomes to coax anti-viral signaling that expands therapy resistant cells through druggable pathways. RNA profile of ceullar RNA and exosome of co-culture of breast caner cell line 1833 and stroma cell line MRC5.
Project description:How stroma communicates with cancer to influence treatment response is poorly understood. We show that stromal fibroblasts protect breast cancer (BrCa) against radiation and chemotherapy through an exosome-mediated anti-viral pathway and NOTCH3. Stroma increases RAB27B and transfers exosomes to BrCa. RNA within exosomes, comprised largely of non-coding transcripts and transposable elements, stimulates the pattern recognition receptor RIG-I through a 5’-triphosphate motif to activate STAT1. BrCa NOTCH3 is activated in parallel by stromal JAG1 and cooperates with STAT1 to enhance transcriptional responses of NOTCH target genes and to expand therapy resistant tumor-initiating cells. Computational modeling using primary human and mouse BrCa supports the interaction of anti-viral/NOTCH3 pathways in controlling NOTCH target genes and treatment resistance, particularly in basal subtype tumors. Gamma secretase inhibitors reverse stromal protection and abrogate radiation resistance in vivo. Thus, stroma orchestrates an intricate cross-talk with BrCa by utilizing exosomes to coax anti-viral signaling that expands therapy resistant cells through druggable pathways.
Project description:This model is based on:
Reinforcement learning-based control of tumor growth under anti-angiogenic therapy
Authors: Parisa Yazdjerdi, Nader Meskin, Mohammad Al-Naemi, Ala-Eddin Al Moustafa, Levente Kovacs
Abstract:
Background and objectives: In recent decades, cancer has become one of the most fatal and destructive diseases which is threatening humans life. Accordingly, different types of cancer treatment are studied with the main aim to have the best treatment with minimum side effects. Anti-angiogenic is a molecular targeted therapy which can be coupled with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although this method does not eliminate the whole tumor, but it can keep the tumor size in a given state by preventing the formation of new blood vessels. In this paper, a novel model-free method based on reinforcement learning (RL) framework is used to design a closed-loop control of anti-angiogenic drug dosing administration.
Methods: A Q-learning algorithm is developed for the drug dosing closed-loop control. This controller is designed using two different values of the maximum drug dosage to reduce the tumor volume up to a desired value. The mathematical model of tumor growth under anti-angiogenic inhibitor is used to simulate a real patient.
Results: The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown through in silico simulation and its robustness to patient parameters variation is demonstrated. It is demonstrated that the tumor reaches its minimal volume in 84 days with maximum drug inlet of 30 mg/kg/day. Also, it is shown that the designed controller is robust with respect to ± 20% of tumor growth parameters changes.
Conclusion: The proposed closed-loop reinforcement learning-based controller for cancer treatment using anti-angiogenic inhibitor provides an effective and novel result such that with a clinically valid and safe dosage of drug, the volume reduces up to 1mm3 in a reasonable short period compared to the literature.
Project description:Thousands of enhancers are characterized in the human genome, yet few have been shown important in cancer. Inhibiting oncokinases, such as EGFR, ALK, HER2, and BRAF, is a mainstay of current cancer therapy but is hindered by innate drug resistance mediated by upregulation of the HGF receptor, MET. The mechanisms mediating such genomic responses to targeted therapy are unknown. Here, we identify lineage-specific MET enhancers for multiple common tumor types, including a melanoma lineage-specific MET enhancer that displays inducible chromatin looping and MET gene induction upon BRAF inhibition. Epigenomic analysis demonstrated that the melanocyte-specific transcription factor, MITF, mediates this enhancer function. Targeted genomic deletion (<7bp) of the MITF motif within the MET enhancer suppressed inducible chromatin looping and innate drug resistance, while maintaining MITF-dependent, inhibitor-induced melanoma cell differentiation. Epigenomic analysis can thus guide functional disruption of regulatory DNA to decouple pro- and anti-oncogenic functions of tumor lineage-enriched transcription factors mediating innate resistance to oncokinase therapy. MITF ChIP-seq was performed in primary human melanocytes with overexpression of BRAFV600E or a lentiviral control (RFP), and in COLO829 melanoma cells treated with DMSO, or PLX4032
Project description:3D in vitro culture models of cancer cells in extracellular matrix (ECM) have been developed to investigate drug targeting and resistance or, alternatively, mechanisms of invasion, however models allowing analysis of shared pathways mediating invasion and therapy resistance are lacking. To evaluate therapy response associated with cancer cell invasion, we here used 3D invasion culture of tumor spheroids in 3D fibrillar collagen and applied Ethanol-Ethyl cinnamate (EtOH-ECi) based optical clearing to detect both spheroid core and invasion zone by subcellular-resolved 3D microscopy. When subjected to a single dose of irradiation (4 Gy), we detected preferential cell survival in the invasion zone, compared to the spheroid core. By physical separation of core and invasion zone we identified differentially regulated genes between preferentially engaged in invading cells controlling cell division, repair and survival. This imaging-based 3D invasion culture may be useful for analysis of complex therapy-response patterns in cancer cells in drug discovery and invasion-associated resistance development.
Project description:Background: The addition of the anti-HER2 antibody pertuzumab to trastuzumab/chemotherapy treatment in HER2+ breast cancer significantly improves clinical outcome. Concomitantly, the drug-antibody conjugate T-DM1 (trastuzumab-emantasine) has demonstrated efficacy, at least equal, to the combination of trastuzumab/chemotherapy. Scientific, economic and health challenges emerge from the clinical use of these novel anti-HER2 antibodies, aimed to identify new resistance mechanisms and to select the target breast cancer population. Objectives: (1) To identify primary resistance mechanisms to anti-HER2 antibodies trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and to the combined trastuzumab/pertuzumab or pertuzumab/T-DM1 therapy, (2) To identify acquired resistance mechanisms to anti-HER2 antibodies trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and to the combined trastuzumab/pertuzumab or pertuzumab/T-DM1 therapy, (3) To develop new combinations of anti-HER2 antibodies with other targeted therapies.
Project description:Stochastic transition of cancer cells between drug-sensitive and drug-tolerant persister phenotypes has been proposed to play a key role in non-genetic resistance to therapy. Yet, we show here that cancer cells actually possess a highly stable inherited chance to persist (CTP) during therapy. This CTP is non-stochastic, determined pre-treatment, and has a unimodal distribution ranging from 0 to almost 100%. Importantly, CTP is drug-specific. We found that differential serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) protein determines the CTP of lung and of head and neck cancer cells under EGFR inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, the first-in-class IRS1 inhibitor NT219 was highly synergistic with anti-EGFR therapy across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Elucidation of drug-specific mechanisms that determine the degree and stability of cellular CTP may establish a framework for the elimination of cancer persisters, using novel rationally designed drug combinations.
Project description:Stochastic transition of cancer cells between drug-sensitive and drug-tolerant persister phenotypes has been proposed to play a key role in non-genetic resistance to therapy. Yet, we show here that cancer cells actually possess a highly stable inherited chance to persist (CTP) during therapy. This CTP is non-stochastic, determined pre-treatment, and has a unimodal distribution ranging from 0 to almost 100%. Importantly, CTP is drug-specific. We found that differential serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) protein determines the CTP of lung and of head and neck cancer cells under EGFR inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, the first-in-class IRS1 inhibitor NT219 was highly synergistic with anti-EGFR therapy across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Elucidation of drug-specific mechanisms that determine the degree and stability of cellular CTP may establish a framework for the elimination of cancer persisters, using novel rationally designed drug combinations.
Project description:Stochastic transition of cancer cells between drug-sensitive and drug-tolerant persister phenotypes has been proposed to play a key role in non-genetic resistance to therapy. Yet, we show here that cancer cells actually possess a highly stable inherited chance to persist (CTP) during therapy. This CTP is non-stochastic, determined pre-treatment, and has a unimodal distribution ranging from 0 to almost 100%. Importantly, CTP is drug-specific. We found that differential serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) protein determines the CTP of lung and of head and neck cancer cells under EGFR inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, the first-in-class IRS1 inhibitor NT219 was highly synergistic with anti-EGFR therapy across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Elucidation of drug-specific mechanisms that determine the degree and stability of cellular CTP may establish a framework for the elimination of cancer persisters, using novel rationally designed drug combinations.
Project description:Stochastic transition of cancer cells between drug-sensitive and drug-tolerant persister phenotypes has been proposed to play a key role in non-genetic resistance to therapy. Yet, we show here that cancer cells actually possess a highly stable inherited chance to persist (CTP) during therapy. This CTP is non-stochastic, determined pre-treatment, and has a unimodal distribution ranging from 0 to almost 100%. Importantly, CTP is drug-specific. We found that differential serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) protein determines the CTP of lung and of head and neck cancer cells under EGFR inhibition, both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, the first-in-class IRS1 inhibitor NT219 was highly synergistic with anti-EGFR therapy across multiple in vitro and in vivo models. Elucidation of drug-specific mechanisms that determine the degree and stability of cellular CTP may establish a framework for the elimination of cancer persisters, using novel rationally designed drug combinations.