5624 results for "canc*"

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• A Unifying Paradigm for Transcriptional Heterogeneity and Squamous Features in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

  Pancreatic cancer expression profiles largely reflect a classical or basal-like phenotype. The extent to which these profiles vary within a patient is unknown. We integrated evolutionary analysis and expression profiling in multiregion sampled metastatic pancreatic cancers, finding that squamous features are the histologic correlate of an RNA-seq defined basal-like subtype. In patients with coexisting basal/squamous and classical/glandular morphology, phylogenetic studies revealed that squamous morphology represented a subclonal population in an otherwise classical/glandular tumor. Cancers with squamous features were significantly more likely to have clonal mutations in chromatin modifiers, intercellular heterogeneity for MYC amplification, and entosis. These data provide a unifying paradigm for integrating basal-type expression profiles, squamous histology, and somatic mutations in chromatin modifier genes in the context of clonal evolution of pancreatic cancer.  

  Study EGAS00001003974

• Activation of IL7RA signalling in human B-lymphoid precursors induces pre-leukemia

  Study EGAS00001003979

• Molecular Profiles of BRCA1-Associated Ovarian Cancer Treated by Platinum-Based Therapy

  Study EGAS00001003980

• MYO5B mutations in Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma promote cancer progression

  Identification of additional cancer-associated genes and secondary mutations driving the metastatic progression in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL) is important. We recently reported novel recurrent nonsynonymous mutations in the MYO5B gene in metastatic PPGL. Here, we explored the functional impact of these MYO5B mutations, and analyzed MYO5B expression in primary PPGL tumor cases in relation to mutation status.Immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression analysis in 30 primary PPGL tumors revealed an increased MYO5B expression in metastatic compared to non-metastatic tumor cases. In addition, subcellular localization of MYO5B protein was altered from cytoplasmatic to membranous in some metastatic tumors, and the strongest and most abnormal expression pattern was observed in a PGL case harboring a MYO5B:p.G1611S mutation. Mutation analysis of additional PPGL tumors revealed additional, and hence recurrent, mutations in the paralog MYO5A. Three missense mutations in MYO5B were functionally studied using site directed mutagenesis and stable transfection into human neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-AS) and embryonic kidney cells (HEK293 cell line). Functional analysis of the mutants verified a significant increased proliferation rate in all MYO5B mutated clones (p.L587P, p.G1611S, and p.R1641C). The two somatically derived mutations p.L587P and p.G1611S were also found to increase the migration rate, and all three mutants affected intracellular transport by increased transferrin uptake. Downstream expression analysis of MYO5B mutants demonstrated a transcriptional activation of genes involved in glucose metabolism, proliferation, homeostasis, and migration. Our study validates the functional role of novel MYO5B mutations in proliferation and migration, and suggest the MYO5-pathway to be involved the malignant progression of PPGL tumors.

  Study EGAS00001003991

• Lindsey E. Jones et al. Patient-derived cells from recurrent tumors that model the evolution of IDH-mutant glioma. Neuro-Oncology Advances, 2020. We established robust, versatile, and well-characterized Patient Derived Cells (PDC) of an IDH1-mutant astrocytoma and an IDH1-mutant oligodendroglioma that represents defined evolutionary stages of chemotherapy-induced hypermutation. The PDCs retain tumor subtype defining features over time as well as classic hallmarks of cancer, including anchorage independent growth and cell immortality. The integrated phylogenies composed of PDCs,single-cell-derived PDCs, patient-derived xenografts, and corresponding spatiotemporal tumor tissue samples also provide new insight into the clonality, evolutionary pattern, and immense mutational load of hypermutated IDH mutant gliomas.

  IDH-mutant lower-grade gliomas can undergo malignant progression via temozolomide-driven hypermutation. Patient-derived cells (PDC) that model the genetically distinct hypermutated (HM) tumor subgroup are generally lacking, and few if any human brain tumor cell models are from defined evolutionary time points. Here, we characterize multiple PDC derived from independent surgical specimens of IDH1-mutant recurrences, including an ATRX and TP53-mutant astrocytoma and a 1p/19q co-deleted and TERT promoter-mutant oligodendroglioma. We determined the evolutionary time points represented by each PDC using exome sequencing and phylogenetic reconstruction, comparing the PDC and single cell clones of the PDC (scPDC) to multiple spatiotemporal tumor tissue samples, PDC-derived xenografts (PDX) and patient-matched blood. The tumor samples exhibited TMZ-induced mutagenesis and a branching pattern of evolution. We found clear evidence of two fully independent founder HM clones in the tumor tissue that are faithfully represented by independent PDC. The PDC, scPDC and PDX also shared the mutagenesis signature and represent the mid and later evolutionary time points of their corresponding tumors. The PDC maintained the tumor subtype-defining features over many passages, including heterozygosity of the IDH1 R132H mutation, production of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), and subtype-specific telomere maintenance mechanisms. The PDC from both tumors exhibited anchorage-independent growth in soft agar. The oligodendroglioma PDC formed infiltrative intracranial tumors with characteristic oligodendroglioma histology, initially with a long period to tumor formation. We conclude that the PDC, scPDC and PDX faithfully model the heterogeneous clonal origins of the corresponding tumor tissue. The multilevel analysis also provides new insight into the intratumoral heterogeneity and vast mutational load of HM glioma. The PDC from multiple evolutionary time points presented in the context of full clinical timelines may be useful to model evolution and intratumoral heterogeneity, important sources of therapeutic failure.

  Study EGAS00001003992

• Tumor-specific expression of let-7i and miR-192 is associated with resistance to cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy in patients with larynx and hypopharynx cancer

  Background: The majority of patients with locally advanced larynx or hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma are treated with organ preserving chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Clinical outcome following CRT varies greatly. We hypothesized tumor microRNA (miRNA) expression is predictive for outcome following CRT. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) miRNA profiling was performed on 37 formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tumor samples. Patients with a recurrence free survival (RFS) of less than 2 years (“poor outcome”) and patients without recurrence within 2 years (“good outcome”) were compared by differential expression analysis. Tumor-specific miRNAs were selected based on normal mucosa miRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A model was constructed to predict outcome using group-regularized penalized logistic ridge regression. Candidate miRNAs were validated in the initial sample set by RT-qPCR as well as in 46 additional tumor samples.Results: 1,938 known mature miRNAs were detected. Thirteen miRNAs were differentially expressed (p<0.05, FDR<0.1) according to outcome group. Initial class prediction in the NGS cohort (n=37) resulted in a model combining five miRNAs and disease stage, able to predict CRT outcome with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82. In the RT-qPCR cohort (n=83), 25 patients (30%) experienced early recurrence (median RFS 8 months; median follow-up 42 months). Class prediction resulted in a model combining let-7i-5p and miR-192-5p and disease stage, able to discriminate with an AUC of 0.80 patients with good versus poor clinical outcome.Conclusion: The combined miRNA expression and disease stage prediction model is superior to using either factor alone. ¬¬¬This study indicates NGS miRNA profiling using FFPE specimens is feasible, resulting in clinically relevant biomarkers.

  Study EGAS00001004001

• RNA-seq data from Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) samples

  RNA-seq data from Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) samples

  Study EGAS00001004032

• Spontaneous mutations in the single TTN gene represent high tumor mutation burden

  Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is an emerging biomarker, whose calculation requires targeted sequencing of many genes. We investigated if the measurement of mutation counts within a single gene is representative of TMB. Whole exome sequencing (WES) data from the pan-cancer cohort (n=10,224) of TCGA, and targeted sequencing (tNGS) and TTN gene sequencing from 24 colorectal cancer samples (AMC cohort) were analyzed.

  Study EGAS00001004009

• Mapping the breast cancer metastatic cascade onto circulating tumour DNA using genetic and epigenetic clonal tracking

  Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) allows tracking the evolution of human cancers at high resolution, overcoming many limitations of tissue biopsies. However, exploiting ctDNA to determine how a patient’s cancer is evolving in order to aid clinical decisions remains difficult. This is because ctDNA is a mix of fragmented alleles, and the contribution of different cancer cell subpopulations from distinct lesions to ctDNA remains largely unknown. Profiling of ctDNA almost invariably requires prior knowledge of what genomic alterations to track. Here we leverage on a rapid autopsy programme to demonstrate that unbiased genomic characterisation of several metastatic sites and concomitant ctDNA profiling at whole-genome resolution reveals the extent to which ctDNA is representative of widespread disease. We also present a ctDNA methylation profiling method that allows tracking evolutionary changes in the cancer cell population at single-molecule resolution without prior knowledge. These results have critical implications for the use of liquid biopsies to monitor cancer evolution in humans and potentially guide treatment.

  Study EGAS00001004014

• Uncovering tumor intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate hepatocellular carcinoma growth using patient derived xenograft assays

  Several major factors limit our understanding of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). First, human HCCs are infrequently biopsied for diagnosis and thus are not often biologically interrogated. Second, HCC initiation and progression are strongly influenced by the cirrhotic microenvironment, and the exact contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic tumor factors are unclear. A powerful approach to examine the personalized biology of liver cancers and the influence of host tissues is with patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. In Asia, HCCs from hepatitis B virus patients have been efficiently converted into PDXs, but few parallel efforts from the west have been reported. In a large-scale analysis, we implanted 93 HCCs and 8 cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) to systematically analyze host factors and to define an optimized platform for PDX development from both surgical and biopsy samples. NSG mice that had undergone partial hepatectomy (PHx) represented the best combination of engraftability, growth, and passageability, but overall rates were low and indicative of a unique intrinsic biology for HCCs in the US. PDX models preserved the histology and genetic features of parental tumors, and ultimately, 9 new models were usable for pre-clinical studies. Intriguingly, HCC PDXs were differentially sensitive to regorafenib and sorafenib and CCA PDXs were also highly sensitive to regorafenib. PDX models functionalize early and advanced stage HCCs and revealed unique biological features of liver cancers from the US.

  Study EGAS00001004020

• Neoantigen responses to Immunotherapy in Prostate Cancer

  To determine whether antigen-specific T cell responses can be elicited following treatment with ICT in cancers that have a low TMB, a clinical trial with ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4) was conducted in 30 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We identified 2 distinct groups of patients divided by clinical outcomes, which consisted of a cohort with Favorable and Unfavorable outcomes. Compared to the Unfavorable cohort, the patients in the Favorable cohort were more likely to have higher intratumoral CD8 T cell density and/or IFN-γ response gene signature, including five patients who had antigen-specific T cell responses that were only detectable after ipilimumab therapy. Three patients had T cell responses against tumor-associated antigens (PSMA and PAP). Importantly, two patients with a relatively low TMB had T cell responses against unique neoantigens. Collectively, our data indicate that a subset of patients with metastatic prostate cancer benefit from ICTs, particularly those who have immunological biomarkers associated with effector T cell responses. Publication: Sumit K. Subudhi, Luis Vence, Hao Zhao, Jorge Blando, Shalini S. Yadav, Qing Xiong, Alexandre Reuben, Ana Aparicio, Paul G. Corn, Brian F. Chapin, Louis L. Pisters, Patricia Troncoso, Rebecca Slack Tidwell, Peter Thall, Chang-Jiun Wu, Jianhua Zhang, Christopher L. Logothetis, Andrew Futreal, James P. Allison and Padmanee Sharma, 2020, Neoantigen responses, immune correlates, and favorable outcomes after ipilimumab treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Science Translational Medicine, 01 Apr 2020:Vol. 12, Issue 537, eaaz3577DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaz3577. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32238575/

  Study EGAS00001004050

• Concurrent germline and somatic pathogenic BAP1 variants in a patient with metastatic bladder cancer

  Study EGAS00001004055

• Institute for Refractory Cancer Research (IRCR) Data Access Committee

  Dac EGAC00001000272

• Expression profiles and genetic makeup of metastases of a cancer of unknown primary.

  Study EGAS00001004059

• Organoid cultures of early-onset colorectal cancers reveal distinct and rare genetic profiles

  Sporadic early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has bad prognosis, yet is poorly represented by cell line models. We examine the key mutational and transcriptomic alterations in an organoid biobank enriched in EOCRCs. We established paired cancer (n=32) and normal organoids (n=18) from 20 patients enriched in microsatellite-stable EOCRC. Exome and transcriptome analysis was performed. We observed a striking diversity of molecular phenotypes, including PTPRK-RSPO3 fusions. Transcriptionally, RSPO fusion organoids resembled normal colon organoids and were distinct from APC mutant organoids, with high BMP2 and low PTK7 expression. Single cell transcriptome analysis confirmed the similarity between RSPO fusion organoids and normal organoids, with a propensity for maturation on Wnt withdrawal, whereas the APC mutant organoids were locked in progenitor stages. CRISPR/Cas9 engineered mutation of APC in normal human colon organoids led to upregulation of PTK7 protein and suppression of BMP2, but less so with an engineered RNF43 mutation. The frequent co-occurrence of RSPO fusions with SMAD4 or BMPR1A mutation was confirmed in TCGA database searches. RNF43 mutation was found in organoid from a leukaemia survivor with a novel mutational signature; and organoids with POLE proofreading mutation displayed ultramutation. The cancer organoid genomes were stable over long culture periods, while normal human colon organoids tended to be subject to clonal dominance over time. These organoid models enriched in EOCRCs with linked genomic data fill a gap in existing CRC models and reveal distinct genetic profiles and novel pathway cooperativity.

  Study EGAS00001004063

• Whole exome sequencing of advanced gastric cancer

  To define the cellular characteristics of malignant ascites of advanced gastric cancer patients and search for therapeutic strategies, we obtained 5 malignant ascites and 1 cerebrospinal fluid from five patients with gastric cancer. We analyzed 180 cells from 4 malignant ascites and 1 cerebrospinal fluid metastasis. The results indicate that the anti-inflammatory characteristics of the tumor associated macrophages are concocted by the tumor cells. By constructing reference transcriptomes for M1 and M2 type macrophages, we found a strong non-inflammatory property of macrophages recovered from the malignant ascites of gastric cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004086

• Rapid response of APC/TP53/KRAS mutated stage IV colorectal cancer under FOLFIRI + Bevacizumab detected by liquid biopsy: a case report

  In our non-interventional liquid biopsy study, a male patient in his fifties diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer and polytope liver metastases rapidly progressed after completing chemotherapy and deceased 8 months after diagnosis. Retrospective cell free DNA testing showed that the APC/TP53/KRAS major clone responded quickly after 3 cycles of FOLFIRI + Bevacizumab. Retrospective exome sequencing of pre-chemotherapy and post-chemotherapy tissue samples including metastases confirmed that the APC/TP53/KRAS and other major clonal mutations (GPR50, SLC5A, ZIC3, SF3A1 and others) were present in all samples. After the last chemotherapy cycle,

  Study EGAS00001004088

• Comparison of structural variations from 10X Genomics linked-reads and conventional Illumina short-reads sequencing

  Structural variations (SVs) are large genomic rearrangements that can drive many diseases. Conventional short-reads whole genome sequencing (cWGS) allows their identification with base-pair resolution, but suffers from high false discovery rate. cWGS taps in short-range information from short-reads while linked-reads sequencing (10XWGS) utilizes long-range information. 10XWGS allows linkage of short-reads originating from the same large DNA molecule with a unique barcode captured in a gel bead in emulsion. This mitigates alignment-based artefacts from cWGS especially in repetitive regions. However, the false discovery rate of this technology is unclear. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of different type and size of SVs predicted from these two technologies. The SVs common between both technologies were found to be highly specific by PCR and Sanger sequencing while validation rate dropped for uncommon events. Further, we propose a novel enrichment approach for filtering out false positive calls from both the technologies independently. To this end, we trained a machine learning model for respective technologies and used it to characterise SVs from MCF7 cell line and a primary breast cancer tumor with high precision. This approach would be valuable in understanding true mechanisms driven by SVs in various diseases.

  Study EGAS00001004093

• Evolutionary Origins of Recurrent Pancreatic Cancer

  Surgery is the only curative option for patients with Stage I/II pancreatic cancer, nonetheless most patients will recur after surgery and die of their disease. To identify novel opportunities for management of recurrent pancreatic cancer we performed whole exome or targeted sequencing of 10 resected primary cancers and their matched intrapancreatic recurrences or distant metastases. We identified that recurrent disease develops from a monophyletic or polyphyletic origin, and this distinction has potential clinical relevance. In all patients, treatment induced genetic bottlenecks led to a modified genetic landscape and subclonal heterogeneity for driver gene alterations in part due to intermetastatic seeding. In one patient what was believed to be recurrent disease was an independent (second) primary tumor. These findings strongly advocate for routine post-treatment sampling in the management of recurrent pancreatic cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004097

• Comprehensive pharmacogenomic characterization of gastric cancer

  Gastric cancer is among the most lethal human malignancies. Previous studies have identified molecular aberrations that constitute dynamic biological networks and genomic complexities of gastric tumors. However, the clinical translation of molecular-guided targeted therapy is hampered by challenges. Notably, solid tumors often harbor multiple genetic alterations, complicating the development of effective treatments. To address such challenges, we established a comprehensive dataset of molecularly annotated patient derivatives coupled with pharmacological profiles for 60 targeted agents to explore dynamic pharmacogenomic interactions in gastric cancers. We identified lineage-specific drug sensitivities based on histopathological and molecular subclassification, including substantial sensitivities toward VEGFR and EGFR inhibition therapies in diffuse- and signet ring-type gastric tumors, respectively. We identified potential therapeutic opportunities for WNT pathway inhibitors in ALK-mutant tumors, a significant association between PIK3CA-E542K mutation and AZD5363 response, and transcriptome expression of RNF11 as a potential predictor of response to gefitinib. Collectively, our results demonstrate the feasibility of drug screening combined with tumor molecular characterization to facilitate personalized therapeutic regimens for gastric tumors.

  Study EGAS00001004106

• Genomic landscape of inflammatory breast cancer by whole-genome sequencing

  Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer, characterized by a highly invasive and metastatic phenotype, but little is known about its genetic drivers. Here we report whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 20 newly diagnosed IBC biopsies to characterize for the first time the entire genomic landscape of this disease.

  Study EGAS00001004117

• Imaging metabolic heterogeneity in breast cancer using hyperpolarized 13C-MRI

  Higher 13C-lactate labeling was seen in the more aggressive tumors, including all triple negative breast cancers. There was a significant correlation between lactate labeling and expression of the monocarboxylate transporter (MCT1), which mediates tumor cell pyruvate uptake, and a weaker correlation with expression of LDHA, which catalyzes label exchange between the injected pyruvate and the endogenous lactate pool.

  Study EGAS00001004118

• FOXM1 is a biomarker of resistance to PI3Kα inhibition in ER+ breast cancer that is detectable using metabolic imaging (RNA-seq data)

  PIK3CA, encoding the PI3Kα isoform, is the most frequently mutated oncogene in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Isoform-selective PI3K inhibitors are used clinically but intrinsic and acquired resistance limits their utility. Improved selection of patients that will benefit from these drugs requires novel predictive biomarkers. We show here that persistent FOXM1 expression following drug treatment is a biomarker of resistance to PI3Kα inhibition in ER+ breast cancer. Since the transcription factor drives expression of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) but not hexokinase 2 (HK-II), changes in FOXM1 expression can be detected using magnetic resonance imaging of LDH-catalyzed hyperpolarized 13C label exchange between pyruvate and lactate but not by PET measurements of HK-II-mediated trapping of the glucose analog 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluorodeoxyglucose.

  Study EGAS00001004452

• Comparison of 133/144bp dominant phenotype vs 166bp dominant phenotype.

  Background: Previous studies found that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) generated from tumors was shorter than that from healthy cells, and selecting short cfDNA could enrich for tumor cfDNA and improve its usage in early cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring; however, the underlying mechanism of shortened tumor cfDNA was still unknown, which potentially limits its further clinical application.Results: Using targeted sequencing of cfDNA in a large cohort of solid tumor patient, sequencing reads harboring tumor-specific somatic mutations were isolated to examine the exact size distribution of tumor cfDNA. For the majority of studied cases, 166bp remained as the peak size of tumor cfDNA, with tumor cfDNA showing an increased proportion of short fragments (100-150bp). Less than 1% of cfDNA samples were found to be peaked at 134/144bp and independent of tumor cfDNA purity. Using whole-genome sequencing of cfDNA, we discovered a positive correlation between cfDNA shortening and the magnitude of chromatin inaccessibility, as measured by transcription, DNase I hypersensitivity, and histone modifications. Tumor cfDNA shortening occurred simultaneously at both 5’ and 3’ ends of the DNA wrapped around nucleosomes. Conclusions: Tumor cfDNA shortening exhibited two distinctive modes. Tumor cfDNA purity and chromatin inaccessibility were contributing factors but insufficient to trigger a global transition from 166bp dominant to 134/144bp dominant phenotype.

  Study EGAS00001004135

• Cancer immune control needs senescence induction by Stat1 dependent cell cycle regulator pathways in tumours

  Immune checkpoint bloackade (ICB)-based or natural cancer immune responses largely eliminate tumours. Yet, they require additional mechanisms to arrest those cancer cells that are not rejected. Cytokine-induced senescence (CIS) can stably arrest cancer cells, suggesting that interferon-dependent induction of senescence-inducing cell cycle regulators is needed to control those cancer cells that escape from killing. Here we report in two different cancers sensitive to T cell-mediated rejection, we show that deletion of the senescence-inducing cell cycle regulators p16Ink4a/p19Arf (Cdkn2a) or p21Cip1 (Cdkn1a) in the tumour cells abrogated both, the natural and the ICB-induced cancer immune control. Also in humans, melanoma metastases that progressed rapidly during ICB have losses of senescence-inducing genes and amplifications of senescence inhibitors. Metastatic cells also resist CIS. Such genetic and functional alterations are infrequent in metastatic melanomas regressing during ICB. Thus, activation of tumour-intrinsic, senescence-inducing cell cycle regulators is required to stably arrest those cancer cells that escape from eradication.

  Study EGAS00001004151

• Neoadjuvant immunotherapy leads to pathological responses in MMR proficient and MMR deficient early stage colon cancers

  PD-1 plus CTLA-4 blockade is highly effective in advanced-stage, mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancers, yet not in MMR-proficient (pMMR) tumors. We postulated a higher efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in early-stage colon cancers. In the exploratory NICHE study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03026140), patients with dMMR or pMMR tumors received a single dose of ipilimumab and two doses of nivolumab before surgery, the pMMR group with or without celecoxib. The primary objective was safety and feasibility; 40 patients with 21 dMMR and 20 pMMR tumors were treated, and 3 patients received nivolumab monotherapy in the safety run-in. Treatment was well tolerated and all patients underwent radical resections without delays, meeting the primary endpoint. Of the patients who received ipilimumab + nivolumab (20 dMMR and 15 pMMR tumors), 35 were evaluable for efficacy and translational endpoints. Pathological response was observed in 20/20 (100%; 95% exact confidence interval (CI): 86–100%) dMMR tumors, with 19 major pathological responses (MPRs, ≤10% residual viable tumor) and 12 pathological complete responses. In pMMR tumors, 4/15 (27%; 95% exact CI: 8–55%) showed pathological responses, with 3 MPRs and 1 partial response. CD8+PD-1+ T cell infiltration was predictive of response in pMMR tumors. These data indicate that neoadjuvant immunotherapy may have the potential to become the standard of care for a defined group of colon cancer patients when validated in larger studies with at least 3 years of disease-free survival data.

  Study EGAS00001004160

• The role of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex in neuroendocrine prostate cancer

  We sought to determine the effects of SMARCA4 and SMARCA2 depletion in prostate cancer cell lines. We performed siRNA-mediated knock-down of SMARCA4 and SMARCA2 in an androgen-sensitive (LNCaP) cell line and in a castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-adenocarcinoma cell line (22Rv1) and compared global transcriptional alterations using RNA-seq.

  Study EGAS00001004177

• JAK and STAT alterations in CD30 positive LPD

  Study EGAS00001004181

• Targeted sequencing of breast cancers with germline BRCA1/2 mutations

  Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women, where a germline predisposition plays a substantial role. However, the effects of pathogenic germline variants on accompanying breast cancers have not been fully characterized in terms of somatic alterations. We obtained tumor samples from 30 patients with pathogenic germline variants in BRCA2 (n = 25) and BRCA1 (n = 5), as well as an additional 30 patients without pathogenic germline mutations, in which somatic mutations in common breast cancer drivers and CNAs were analyzed using targeted panel sequencing.

  Study EGAS00001004182

• HSC_population_dynamics___KX007_samples

  My research project aims to use the clonal dynamics of spontaneously occurring somatic mutations to answer fundamental questions about human haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology. The four major questions I will address are: 1. How do age and aging affect normal human HSC dynamics in vivo? 2. How do in vivo perturbations, particularly chemotherapy and increased levels of reactive oxygen species, affect HSC population dynamics? 3. Is response to in vitro perturbation heritable and/or correlated with other features such as age of individual and contribution of the lineage to peripheral blood? 4. How are HSC dynamics altered in people with early driver mutations (clonal haematopoiesis)?

  Study EGAS00001004193

• cfRRBS on cfDNA from pediatric cancer

  In the clinical management of pediatric solid tumors, histological examination of tumor tissue obtained by a biopsy remains the gold standard to establish a conclusive pathological diagnosis. The DNA methylation pattern of a tumor is known to correlate with the histopathological diagnosis across cancer types and is showing promise in the diagnostic workup of tumor samples. This methylation pattern can be detected in the cell-free DNA. Here, we provide proof-of-concept of histopathologic classification of pediatric tumors using cell-free reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (cf-RRBS) from retrospectively collected plasma and cerebrospinal fluid samples. We determined the correct tumor type in 49 out of 60 (81.6%) samples starting from minute amounts (less than 10 ng) of cell-free DNA. We demonstrate that the majority of misclassifications were associated with sample quality and not with the extent of disease. Our approach has the potential to help tackle some of the remaining diagnostic challenges in pediatric oncology in a cost-effective and minimally invasive manner.

  Study EGAS00001004194

• Association of DNA-methylation profiles with immune responses in breast cancer patients

  Study EGAS00001004211

• single-stranded DNA study

  A ssDNA library protocol was applied to cfDNA from plasma samples obtained from different DNA extraction methods and revealed significant differences in DNA fragmentation patterns in comparison to dsDNA-based protocols. In particular, a specific combination of methods revealed a population of ultrashort fragments, organized at ~50 bp. We observed significant differences in the relative abundance of these ultrashort DNA fragments in plasma from healthy individuals and cancer patients. Through shallow whole genome sequencing (sWGS, <0.5-fold coverage) and the analysis of somatic copy number aberrations (SCNA), we determined the landscape of genetic alterations in this newly identified population of cfDNA fragments. In addition, we studied their potential link with regulatory regions by investigating the genome-wide coverage patterns at transcription start sites (TSS). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the ultrashort cfDNA fragments map to regions associated with secondary DNA structures, G-quadruplexes (G4s).

  Study EGAS00001005093

• Real-time response profiling through serial plasma analyses during FOLFOX treatment in patients with colorectal cancer

  Response evaluation of cancer therapeutics relies on the assessment of the change in tumor burden, which is performed in accordance with defined criteria every 8-12 weeks. However, predictive factors for response are not available for the majority of patients with advanced stage colorectal cancer. Here we show that measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels during one of the most commonly administered drug regimens, i.e. FOLFOX, allows an early, real-time assessment of treatment response. During the 48-hour FOLFOX application, we serially assessed plasma DNA and observed that ctDNA levels initially decreased during the first 23 hours. In patients with stable disease or partial response, ctDNA levels remained low, whereas in patients with progressive disease, ctDNA levels increased at the end of the treatment cycle predicting clinical and radiologic response correctly. Hence, ctDNA monitoring during treatment may contribute to an early outcome prediction with significant implications for the management of patients.

  Study EGAS00001004213

• Sensitive detection of tumor mutations from blood and its application to immunotherapy prognosis

  Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is attractive for many applications, including cancer detection, locating, and monitoring. A fundamental task underlying these applications is the SNV calling from cfDNA, which, however, faces a new challenge, namely, the generally very low tumor content in cfDNA. Thus all existing callers fail to achieve satisfactory performance. Here we present cfSNV, a method incorporating multi-layer error suppression and hierarchical mutation calling, to address this important challenge. Furthermore, by leveraging cfDNA’s comprehensive coverage of clonal landscape, for the first time cfSNV can profile mutations even in subclones. In both simulated and real patient data, cfSNV vastly outperforms existing tools, showing tens of times increase in sensitivity in detecting mutations with low allele frequency while maintaining high precision. cfSNV can enhance the clinical utilities of cfDNA by dramatically reducing the required sequencing depth and therefore reduce the cost by magnitudes, and further make the Whole-Exome-Sequencing of cfDNA a viable option. As an example, we demonstrate that cfDNA-WES allows a new biomarker to effectively select patients for immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001004373

• NanoSring of PBMC from bladder cancer and RCC patients

  PBMCs from patients were isolated using 50 mL Leucosep™ tubes (Greiner Bio-One International, Germany) and Ficoll-Paque™ PLUS (GE Healthcare, Sweden). Whole blood drawn into sodium heparin blood collection tubes were diluted 3x with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) without calcium or magnesium (Lonza, Walkersville, MD). Diluted cell suspensions were carefully layered on Leucosep tubes and centrifuged for 15 minutes at 800 x g at room temperature (RT). Interphase containing PBMCs were harvested and washed with PBS and subsequently centrifuged for 10 minutes at 250 x g at RT before further processing.

  Study EGAS00001004229

• Whole transcriptome sequencing of chemotherapy-resistant muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer

  All mRNA sequencing data were acquired from single patients (BC159T) at a different time (BC159-T#1, BC159-T#2, and BC159-T#3). The first transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT) (BC159-T#1) was diagnosed with non-MIUBC (muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer). Despite of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the patient progressed into MIUBC at the second TUR-BT (BC159-T#2). After undergoing multiple neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens (gemcitabine/paclitaxel and sequential paclitaxel), the patient developed local recurrence and multiple lung metastases and removed following palliative partial cystectomy (BC159-T#3).

  Study EGAS00001004232

• Single-cell RNA sequencing of chemotherapy-resistant muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer

  All single-cell mRNA sequencing data were acquired from a single patient (BC159-T#3) and patient-derived xenografts (BC159-T#3-PDX-vehicle and BC159-T#3-PDX-tipifarnib).

  Study EGAS00001004233

• Bone metastatic biopsies of breast cancer patients progressing on endocrine therapies.

  Study EGAS00001004268

• Genetic characterization of a Unique Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation Prostate Circulating Tumor Cell - Derived eXplant (CDX) Model

  Study EGAS00001004272

• Multiregion Whole-Exome Sequencing Uncovers the Genetic Evolution and Mutational Heterogeneity of Early-Stage Metastatic Melanoma.

  Study EGAS00001004320

• METABRIC: Data from Batra et al (2021); DNA methylation landscapes of 1538 breast cancers reveal a replication-linked clock, epigenomic instability and cis-regulation

  DNA methylation is aberrant in cancer, but the dynamics, regulatory role and clinical implications of such epigenetic changes are still poorly understood. Here, RRBS-based profiles of 1538 breast tumors and 244 normal breast tissues from the METABRIC cohort are reported, facilitating detailed analysis of DNA methylation within a rich context of genomic, transcriptional, and clinical data. Tumor methylation from immune and stromal signatures are deconvoluted leading to the discovery of a tumor replication-linked clock with genome-wide methylation loss in non-CpG island sites. Unexpectedly, methylation in most tumor CpG islands follows two replication-independent processes of gain (MG) or loss (ML) that we term epigenomic instability. Epigenomic instability is correlated with tumor grade and stage, TP53 mutations and poorer prognosis. After controlling for these global trans-acting trends, as well as for X-linked dosage compensation effects, cis-specific methylation and expression correlations are uncovered at hundreds of promoters and over a thousand distal elements. Some of these targeted known tumor suppressors and oncogenes. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that global epigenetic instability can erode cancer methylomes and expose them to localized methylation aberrations in-cis resulting in transcriptional changes seen in tumors.

  Study EGAS00001004327

• Activating AKT1 and PIK3CA mutations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

  Study EGAS00001004328

• Umbrella Study of MASTER/H021 data (not to be released, pool)

  Study EGAS00001004338

• Comprehensive molecular characterization of brainstem glioma

  Brainstem gliomas are the most devastating and lethal tumors. Survival rates are among the lowest in all cancers and options for intervention are likewise low. Due to anatomical delicacy of these areas, resection of tumors is particularly difficult and attempted resections have high perioperative mortality rates. Genomic and epigenetic studies often provide a gateway to functional studies of specific classifications of tumors that can lead to major breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment options.

  Study EGAS00001004341

• Epigenomic profile of diverse cancer

  Epigenomic profile of diverse cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004352

• Molecular subsets in renal cancer determine outcome to checkpoint and angiogenesis blockade

  We conducted integrated multi-omics evaluation of 823 tumors from advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients and identified molecular subsets associated with differential clinical outcomes to angiogenesis blockade alone or with a checkpoint inhibitor. Unsupervised transcriptomic analysis revealed six molecular subsets with distinct angiogenesis, immune, cell cycle, metabolism, and stromal programs. While sunitinib was effective in subsets with high angiogenesis, atezolizumab+bevacizumab improved clinical benefit in tumors with high T-effector and/or cell cycle transcription. Somatic mutations in PBRM1 and KDM5C associated with high angiogenesis and AMPK/Fatty acid oxidation gene expression, while CDKN2A/B and TP53 alterations were more prevalent in tumors with increased cell cycle and anabolic metabolism. Sarcomatoid tumors exhibited low prevalence of PBRM1 mutations and angiogenesis markers, frequent CDKN2A/B, BAP1 and TP53 alterations, and increased PD-L1 expression. These findings can be applied to molecularly stratify advanced RCC patients, explain improved outcomes of sarcomatoid tumors to checkpoint blockade, and develop personalized therapies.

  Study EGAS00001004353

• Phylogenetic reconstruction of breast cancer

  The aim of this study was to identify the evolutionary trajectories of metastatic breast cancer. We present whole genome sequencing data (primary tumours, axillary lymph nodes, distant metastasis and matched normal tissues) from 16 breast cancer patients. This work sheds light on the routes on which tumour cells metastasize and their role in disease progression in ER-positive breast cancer.

  Study EGAS00001004356

• Sequencing of an adolescent patient with germline RET mutant alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

  An adolescent patient presented with an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma made more unique by the presence of a germline RET mutation ordinarily associated with and a known driver of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) cancer. To better understand the role of this germline RET mutation in the genetics and phenotypic response of this unique alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, we performed DNA and RNA sequencing of the patients in addition to functional studies on patient-derived cultures and genetically similar similar cell models.

  Study EGAS00001004359

• OSCC WES + WGS Boot et al. 2020

  Study EGAS00001004376