Project description:Regional delivery of oncolytic viruses has been shown to promote immune responses. Malignant pleural effusions comprise an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and the ability of oncolytic viruses to generate immune responses following regional delivery in patients with malignant pleural effusions is unknown. We conducted a phase I clinical trial that studied the intrapleural administration of oncolytic vaccinia virus to establish the safety and feasibility in patients with malignant pleural effusion due to malignant pleural mesothelioma or metastatic disease. In patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, by correlative analysis of pre- and post-treatment tumor biopsies, we provide insight into tumor-specific viral uptake and associated immune responses.
Project description:We screened pleural effusion proteomes of mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma patients to identify novel soluble mesothelioma biomarkers. We performed quantitative mass spectrometry-(MS-) based proteomics using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) and used narrow range immobilized pH gradient/high resolution isoelectric focusing (IPG/HiRIEF; pH 4 to 4.25) prior to analysis by nano liquid chromatography-coupled MS/MS. Pleural effusions from patients with malignant mesothelioma (n=6), lung adenocarcinoma (n=6), or benign mesotheliosis (n=7) were analyzed, and more than 1,300 proteins were identified.
Project description:Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and is characterized by a long latency period (20-40 years between initial exposure and diagnosis) and prior exposure to asbestos. Currently accurate diagnosis of MPM is difficult due to the lack of sensitive biomarkers, and despite minor improvements in treatment, median survival rates do not exceed 12 months. Accumulating evidence suggests that aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important functional role in cancer biology. LncRNAs are a class of recently discovered non-protein coding RNAs >200 nucleotides in length with a role in regulating transcription. Here we used NCode long noncoding microarrays to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs potentially involved in MPM pathogenesis. High priority candidate lncRNAs were selected on the basis of statistical (P<0.05) and biological significance (>3-fold difference). Expression levels of 9 candidate lncRNAs were technically validated using RT-qPCR, and biologically validated in three independent test sets: (1) 57 archived MPM tissues obtained from extrapleural pneumonectomy patients, (2) 15 cryopreserved MPM and 3 benign pleura, and (3) an extended panel of 10 MPM cell lines. RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated consistent up-regulation of these lncRNAs in independent datasets. ROC curve analysis showed that two candidates were able to separate benign pleura and MPM with high sensitivity and specificity, and were associated with nodal metastases and survival following induction chemotherapy. These results suggest that lncRNAs have potential to serve as biomarkers in MPM. To identify mRNA and lncRNA biomarkers associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), we performed gene expression array analysis on 4 MPM cell lines (H28, MM05, MSTO-211H, H226) compared to the immortalised mesothelial line (MeT-5A). All cell lines were profiled in duplicate. Synthesis of the labelled first strand cDNA was conducted using the Superscript Plus Direct cDNA labeling system with starting material of 10ug total RNA. The labeled dNTP mix was added to the reaction to generate labeled second strand cDNA. Following the hydrolysis reaction, single-stranded cDNA was purified using low elution volume spin cartridges included in the purification module. Samples were labelled using Alexa Fluor 555 dyes. Samples were then hybridised to NCode Long Noncoding RNA Microarrays. Slides were scanned using an Agilent Scanner. Genes differentially expressed between Met-5A and the MPM cell lines were identified on the basis of P-value and fold change.