5707 results for "canc*"

in 40.58 milliseconds.

• Parallel Detections of Somatic Gene Mutations in Surgically Resected Tumor tissues and Matched Plasma Specimens in Early-Stages of Primary Breast Cancer

  We developed two panel successively, contain 68 and 136 genes respectively. Combination with ultrasound or mammography, it could be used for breast cancer early detection and avoided unnecessary surgery or other invasive detection.

  Study EGAS00001003075

• Exploring_the_landscape_of_somatic_mutations_in_normal_tissue___GI___TPS___WGS

  The aim of this project is to investigate somatic mutations, including rates of mutations and signatures, and clonal dynamics in normal (non-cancerous) human tissues from the gastrointestinal tract. The project will involve the study of normal tissues from healthy individuals and those with specific candidate diseases. We are utilising laser capture microscopy to identify and isolate specific cell populations which are then subjected to whole genome sequencing to estimate mutational burdens and begin to understand clonal structures across the normal tissues.

  Study EGAS00001003089

• HSC_population_dynamics_CBD_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 EGAS00001003091

• Somatic mutations in endometriosis and normal uterine endometrium

  To characterize the genomic features of endometriosis, we performed whole-exome sequencing for ovarian endometriotic epithelium samples obtained from subjects without concurrent gynecological cancers. Additionally, we analyzed histologically normal uterine endometrial epithelium samples obtained from subjects with benign gynecologic diseases. All the epithelium samples were isolated by laser microdissection from frozen sections.

  Study EGAS00001003095

• Circulating cell-free DNA analysis in Small Cell Lung Cancer

  Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for ~250,000 deaths worldwide each year. Acquisition of adequate tumour biopsies is challenging and liquid biopsies present the best option for patient stratification and response monitoring. We present genome-wide and targeted plasma DNA sequencing data that identifies tumour related changes in 91% of limited (LS-SCLC) and 100% of extensive stage (ES-SCLC) patients. Parallel analysis of circulating tumour cells (CTCs, by CellSearch) based on ≥ 1 CTC/7.5ml blood increased tumour detection frequencies to 98% patients (95% for LS-SCLC) where CTC count and plasma DNA readouts correlated with disease stage and overall survival (OS). Targeted plasma DNA sequencing identified potential therapeutic targets in >50% of patients. This approach will support trials of targeted therapies where improved patients outcomes are urgently required.

  Study EGAS00001003110

• Organoid Models of Human Liver Cancers Derived from Tumor Needle Biopsies

  Study EGAS00001003115

• BS-seq in plasma of CRC patients

  We performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing of plasma DNA in 11 colorectal cancer patients to study the colonic DNA in plasma.

  Study EGAS00001003117

• Whole exome sequencing of small cell neuroendocrine cancer of the cervix

  In order to improve treatment selection for high grade neuroendocrine carcinomas of the cervix (NECC), we performed a comparative genomic analysis between this rare tumor type and other cervical cancer types, as well as extra-cervical neuroendocrine small cell carcinomas of the lung and bladder. We performed whole exome sequencing on fresh-frozen tissue from 15 NECCs and matched normal tissue. We then identified mutations and copy number variants using standard analysis pipelines. Published mutation tables from cervical cancers and extra-cervical small cell carcinomas were used for comparative analysis. Descriptive statistical methods were used and a two-sided threshold of P < .05 was used for significance. In the NECC cohort, we detected a median of 1.7 somatic mutations per megabase (range 1.0-20.9). PIK3CA p.E545K mutations were the most frequency observed oncogenic mutation (4/15 tumors, 27%). Activating MAPK pathway mutations in KRAS (p.G12D) and GNAS (p.R201C) co-occurred in two tumors (13%). In total we identified PI3-kinase or MAPK pathway activating mutations in 67% of NECC. When compared to NECC, lung and bladder small cell carcinomas exhibited a statistically significant higher rate of coding mutations (P < .001 for lung; P = .001 for bladder). Mutation of TP53 was uncommon in NECC (13%) and was more frequent in both lung (103 of 110 tumors [94%], P < .001) and bladder (18 of 19 tumors [95%], P < .001) small cell carcinoma. These comparative genomics data suggest that NECC may be genetically more similar to common cervical cancer subtypes than to extra-cervical small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung and bladder. These results may have implications for the selection of cytotoxic and targeted therapy regimens for this rare disease.

  Study EGAS00001003142

• DNA Methylation-based diagnostic biomarkers for ESCC in Han Chinese population

  DNA methylation-based biomarkers were suggested to be promising for early cancer diagnosis. However, DNA methylation-based biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), especially in Chinese Han populations have not been identified and evaluated quantitatively. To identify the candidate DNA-methylation based biomarkers for ESCC diagnosis, we performed the targeted bisulfite sequencing analysis in this study. Based on these 94 pairs of ESCC tumors and adjacent normal tissues, we found out that ADHFE1, EOMES, SALL1 and TFPI2 could be an effective methylation-based assay for ESCC diagnosis.

  Study EGAS00001003158

• Tumor-associated preferred end coordinates and somatic variants as signatures of circulating tumor DNA

  Cell-free DNA fragmentation is a nonrandom process. We showed that cell-free DNA fragments with ends at certain genomic coordinates had higher likelihoods of being derived from hepatocellular carcinoma. Other coordinates were associated with cell-free DNA molecules originating from the liver. Quantitative assessment of cell-free DNA molecules bearing these respective groups of end signatures correlated with the amounts of tumor-derived or liver-derived DNA in plasma. There were millions of tumor-associated plasma DNA end coordinates across the genome. Due to their high prevalence, they were more readily detectable than somatic mutations as a cancer signature in plasma. Hence, detection of tumor-associated plasma DNA ends may offer a cost-effective means of capturing evidence for the presence of cancer through liquid biopsy assessment.

  Study EGAS00001003160

• Primary breast tumor heterogeneity through therapy

  Study EGAS00001003168

• “Castration-persistence” is a distinct state of tolerance to androgen receptor targeting therapies in prostate cancer

  Androgen receptor (AR) signalling is important in prostate cancer progression, and therapies that specifically target this pathway are the mainstay of treatment for advanced disease. Treatment however is non-curative, and resistance develops inevitably with time. Although the mechanisms that drive progressive ‘castration resistant’ disease are reasonably well characterized, how tumours survive acute pathway inhibition is unclear. We performed a neo-adjuvant study of a novel combination of AR targeting therapies, and noted that the objective response to treatment was highly variable. To determine what was driving tumour persistence in poorly responding patients, we comprehensively characterised pre- and post-treatment samples were using both whole genome and RNA-sequencing. We find that ‘castration-persistence’ is a distinct state from ‘castration-resistance’, and is mediated by global transcriptional reprogramming leading to transitional EMT state, which is shared with benign luminal epithelial cells. This appears to be AP-1 and KLF driven, and represents and integration of multiple signalling pathways, particularly IGF2, offering a number of tractable strategies to improve clinical response to AR targeting therapies.

  Study EGAS00001003172

• Primary breast cancers and paired brain metastases sequencing study

  Improving management of brain metastases (BM) from primary breast cancer (PBC) is a challenge in which targeted therapies play a promising role. However this approach is impaired by miss-knowledge of molecular patterns of the metastatic and drug-resistance processes.We performed a differential analysis of copy-number-alterations (CNAs) and mutations profiles by using pan-genomic array-CGH and targeted next-generation-sequencing of 494 cancer-associated genes, in a series of 14 pairs of matched PBC/BM and assessed if the observed genomic alterations may be used as a druggable agent in a clinical trial.

  Study EGAS00001003173

• Study the differences at the trascriptome level between iNKT and T cells

  Chimeric antigen receptor anti-CD19 (CAR19)-T cell immunotherapy-induced clinical remissions in CD19+ B cell lymphomas are often short-lived. We tested whether CAR19-engineering of the CD1d-restricted invariant NKT (iNKT) cells would result in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity. CAR19-iNKT cells co-operatively activated by CD1d- and CAR19-CD19-dependent interactions are more effective than CAR19-T cells against CD1d-expressing lymphomas in vitro and in vivo. The swifter in vivo anti-lymphoma activity of CAR19-iNKT cells and their enhanced ability to eradicate brain lymphomas underpinned an improved tumor-free and overall survival. CD1d transcriptional de-repression by all-trans retinoic acid results in further enhanced cytotoxicity of CAR19-iNKT cells against CD19+ chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. Thus, iNKT cells are a highly efficient platform for CAR-based immunotherapy of lymphomas and possibly other CD1d-expressing cancers.

  Study EGAS00001003176

• Genome-wide association study of cervical cancer in East Asian populations

  The development of cervical cancer is initiated by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and involves both viral and host genetic factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of cervical cancer have identified associations in the HLA locus and two loci outside HLA, but the principal genes that control infection and pathogenesis have not been identified. In the present study, we performed GWAS of cervical cancer in East Asian populations, involving 2609 cases and 4712 controls in the discovery stage, 1461 cases and 3295 controls in the follow-up stage.

  Study EGAS00001003199

• Exploiting evolutionary steering in cancer therapy

  Drug resistance, mediated by intra-tumour heterogeneity and clonal evolution, is arguably the biggest problem in cancer therapy today. However, evolving resistance to one drug may come at the cost of increased sensitivity to another due to so-called evolutionary trade-offs. This weakness can be exploited in the clinic using an approach called ‘evolutionary herding’ that aims at controlling the tumour cell population to delay or prevent resistance. However, model systems able to recapitulate cancer evolution experimentally are lacking and current in vitro techniques based on small populations, re-plating and escalating dose, are unsuitable to develop evolutionary herding strategies. We present a novel methodology for evolutionary herding in vitro and ex vivo using patient-derived organoids. Our approach is based on a combination of single-cell barcoding, very large populations of 108-109 cells grown without re-plating, realistic high drug doses, time-course monitoring of cancer clones, and mathematical modelling of tumour evolutionary dynamics. We demonstrate evolutionary herding in non-small cell lung cancer in vitro and in patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids (PDO). We show that herding causes controlled evolutionary bottlenecks that lead to collateral sensitivity. Through genomic analysis, we were also able to determine the mechanisms that drive such sensitivity. Our approach allows modelling evolutionary trade-offs experimentally to test patient-specific evolutionary herding strategies that can be translated into the clinic to control treatment resistance.

  Study EGAS00001003200

• RNA-sequencing of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder cancer (NMIBC)

  This RNA-sequencing cohort includes 78 Non-muscle Invasive Bladder cancer (NMIBC) samples and 7 Muscle Invasive Bladder cancer (MIBC) samples.

  Study EGAS00001004358

• Oncogenic fate conversion by PRDM16s causes acute myeloid leukemia

  Oncogenic mutations confer aberrant replicative capacity to cells with little or no replicative capacity, generating cancer stem cells that perpetuate the tumor through extensive self-replication and differentiation blockade. However, whether oncogenes disrupt the cellular identity ofcancer stem cell by altering the developmental potential is unknown. Fate conversion has been demonstrated by ectopic expression of master transcriptional regulators, such as PU.1 and C/EBP alpha that confers myeloid cell fate to other cell types, and PRDM16 that confers brown adipose fate to white adipocytes or myoblasts. Here we show that a transcriptional regulator overexpressed in human myeloid malignancies, PRDM16s, causes oncogenic fate conversion, by transforming cells fated to form platelets and erythrocytes into myeloid leukemia-initiating cells (LICs). Prdm16s expression in hematopoietic progenitor cells caused a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-like disease that progressed to acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). The myeloid diseases caused by Prdm16s exhibited expansion of megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEPs) but not granulocyte-macrophage progenitors. MEPs from Prdm16s-induced leukemia possessed LIC potential, and expression of Prdm16s in normal MEPs was sufficient to convert them to myeloid LICs and blocked megakaryocytic/erythroid potential. Prdm16s induced the expression of myeloid master regulators, including PU.1 and C/EBP alpha, by interacting with their super enhancers. Ablation of myeloid master regulators attenuated the myeloid potential and reinstalled the megakaryocytic/erythroid potential of leukemic-MEPs in mouse models and in human AML with PRDM16 rearrangement. Our study demonstrates that oncogenic Prdm16 expression converts the fate of MEPs to a malignant myeloid fate by activating myeloid master transcription factors.

  Study EGAS00001003235

• Fibroblast heterogeneity drives metastatic spread in breast cancer through distinct mechanisms

  The major cause of death among breast cancer patients is metastatic dissemination, suggesting that understanding the mechanisms driving this process remains an unmet medical need. Here, by concomitantly using 5 markers, we identify 4 Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts (CAF) subsets in primary tumors and corresponding metastatic lymph nodes (LN). Two CAF subsets, called CAF-S1 and CAF-S4, correlate with the proportion of cancer cells in invaded LN and exert distinct functions in tumor cell spread. CAF-S1 promote cancer cell migration and initiates an epithelial to mesenchymal transition through a CXCL12 / TGFb positive loop. For their part, the highly contractile CAF-S4 foster cancer cell motility and invasion in 3-dimensional matrix via Notch pathway activation. Finally, CAF-S1 and CAF-S4 accumulation in LN is a new prognostic factor at diagnostic, independent of breast cancer subtypes and LN status, strengthening the validity of our findings in human breast cancer pathophysiology.

  Study EGAS00001003238

• 1 Intratumoral genetic heterogeneity and clonal evolution following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced rectal tumors.

  Purpose: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) is the standard treatment forpatients with locally advanced rectal cancer. However, little is known about the effect of nCRT in the mutational landscape and intratumoral genetic heterogeneity (ITGH) of rectal tumors. Moreover, response to nCRT vary substantially among patients and the genetic determinants of treatment response are not fully understood. Here, we sought to determine the impact of nCRT in the mutational landscape and ITGH of rectal tumors and to identify putative drivers of therapeutic resistance. Patients and Methods: We analyzed whole-exome sequencing (WES) and clinical data from 79 primary non-treated rectal cancers obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We also compared the mutational landscape of a matched set of peripheral blood cells, irradiated tumor-adjacent colonic mucosa and pre and post-treatment tumor samples to determine the iatrogenic effects of nCRT and its impact in tissue genetic heterogeneity. Finally, we performed WES of 7 matched pre and post-treatment tumor samples to examine how nCRT affects the clonal architecture of rectal tumors. Results: We show that rectal tumors exhibit remarkable ITGH, which increases with disease progression. We also show that nCRT, per se, does not introduce novel somatic mutations, nor alters the clonal architecture of the irradiated colonic mucosa. Instead, we show that it acts as a potent selective pressure, favoring the expansion of tumor cell subpopulations more prone to resist therapy and increasing ITGH in the residual tumor. Conclusion: Our results reveal the highly heterogeneous and dynamic clonal architecture of rectal tumors undergoing nCRT. Our results also uncover putative genetic determinants of response to nCRT and a possible role for ITGH in predicting treatment outcome.

  Study EGAS00001003250

• A Study to Evaluate Denosumab in Young Patients With Primary Breast Cancer (D-Beyond)

  This is a prospective, single arm phase IIa trial in which patients with early breast cancer will receive pre-operatively two doses of denosumab 120mg subcutaneously one week apart (maximum 12 days) followed by surgery. Tumor, normal breast tissue and blood samples will be collected at baseline and at surgery. Post-operative treatment will be at the discretion of the investigator.Primary objective: to determine if a short course of RANKL inhibition with denosumab can induce a decrease in tumor proliferation rates as determined by Ki67 immunohistochemistry (IHC) in newly diagnosed, early stage breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.

  Study EGAS00001003252

• Molecular profiling of longitudinally observed small colorectal polyps: a cohort study

  Knowledge of the natural history of colorectal adenomas is limited because these lesions are removed upon detection. The few studies in which small adenomas have been left in situ for a limited period of time have shown that most lesions remain stable or even completely vanish. Lesions that have grown in size more often turn out to be advanced adenomas when resected. Specific DNA copy number changes (cancer associated events or CAEs) are associated with progression of adenomas to cancer. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether growth of small colorectal polyps left in situ is associated with specific molecular features.

  Study EGAS00001003284

• Mutated H3 Histones Drive Human Pre-Leukemic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Expansion And Promote Leukemic Aggressiveness

  Leukemogenesis is a stepwise progression from mutated, pre-neoplastic hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to full-blown leukemia. Our ability to prevent or treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is limited by our incomplete understanding of the epigenetic disruption that is central to this process, including improper histone methylation. Comprehensive analysis of 16 histone H3 genes in 434 primary AML samples identified Q69H, A26P, R2Q, R8H and K27M/I mutations (1.6%), and a higher incidence in secondary AML (s-AML) (9%). We establish that these mutations are important early events in leukemogenesis. They occur in pre-leukemic HSCs, increase the frequency of functional human HSCs, and alter differentiation. The mutations are present in the major leukemic clones in primary samples, and the mutant histones amplify leukemic aggressiveness with increased proliferation, expansion of leukemic progenitor and blast cells, and superior competitiveness in vivo. These effects are dependent on the specific mutation. Genome-wide analysis of K27 mutants revealed increased expression of genes involved in erythrocyte and myeloid differentiation with a corresponding decrease in histone H3 K27 tri-methylation and increase in K27 acetylation. The functional impact of histone mutations is independent of RUNX1 mutations, although they can co-occur. These data establish the involvement of H3 mutations as initial drivers of pre-cancerous stem cell expansion and leukemogenesis.

  Study EGAS00001003288

• Whole genome sequencing of tumour and matched normal from patients with family history of breast cancer

  Analysis of whole genome sequencing of tumour and matched normal from familial breast cancer patients who had previously undergone clinical germline testing for variation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The patients were either carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline pathogenic variants or non-carriers high-risk individuals (non-BRCA1/2). Somatic mutational signatures were used to study tumour aetiology of these individuals.

  Study EGAS00001003305

• STM4 - Mouliere et al, 2018. Enhanced detection of circulating tumor DNA by fragment size analysis

  Study EGAS00001004418

• Personalized RNA mutanome vaccines mobilize poly-specific therapeutic immunity against cancer

  The goal of the sequencing study was to determine the neoantigen profile of melanoma patients. We performed whole exome sequening of the tumor and respective patien matched PBMC samples (2x50nt) and RNA-sqeuencing of the tumor samples. The was analyzed for somatic point mutaions, using the RNA-Seq data to determine mutation expression. This study contains the exome seq data.

  Study EGAS00001003306

• Personalized RNA mutanome vaccines mobilize poly-specific therapeutic immunity against cancer RNA-Seq

  The goal of the sequencing study was to determine the neoantigen profile of melanoma patients. We performed whole exome sequening of the tumor and respective patien matched PBMC samples (2x50nt) and RNA-sqeuencing of the tumor samples. The was analyzed for somatic point mutaions, using the RNA-Seq data to determine mutation expression. This study contains the patient matched RNA-Sequencing data.

  Study EGAS00001003307

• SNP array datas of 'Matched' cancer/PNE

  SNP array data of 31 Matched cancer/PNE samples

  Study EGAS00001003331

• Exome sequencing of a novel cervical cancer cell line

  Human cancer cell lines are largely used in the searching for new antineoplastic agents. However, due to the artifacts of a long-term in culture, cell lines do not always represent the realistic tumor cell behavior. This has motivated the development of models that better mimetics the tumor tissue, among them, the establishment of primary cell cultures. In this work, we establish and characterized a low-passage cervix cancer cell line from a Brazilian patient with squamous cell carcinoma. The phenotype confirms the epithelial and tumor origin, through cytokeratins, EpCAM, and p16 staining. Whole exome sequencing showed relevant somatic mutations in several genes including BRCA2, TGFBR1, and IRX2 genes. CNV analysis by nanostring and WGS revealed amplification in genes related mainly with kinases proteins, involved in proliferation, migration and cell differentiation, such as EGFR, PIK3CA, and MAPK7. Overexpression of EGFR was confirmed by phospho RTK-array and western blot analysis. Furthermore, the cell was sensitivity to cisplatin, with IC50 13 times lower than SiHa cell line. In conclusion, this cervical cancer cell line presents molecular alterations that are an important tool for leading pre-clinical studies of new drugs that target one or more of the altered pathways.

  Study EGAS00001003343

• CAF-S3 subset in human breast and ovarian cancers

  Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are key players in the tumor microenvironment. By combining 6 well-known stromal markers, we identify four CAF subsets (CAF-S1 to CAF-S4) in human breast and ovarian cancers.

  Study EGAS00001003344

• Evaluation of commercial Guardant360 ctDNA test in metastatic prostate cancer

  Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing provides a minimally-invasive method for tumor molecular stratification. We compared the commercial Guardant360 ctDNA test to an academic sequencing approach for profiling of metastatic prostate cancer. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from 24 patients was sequenced with a validated, prostate cancer specific targeted research panel, and sent for simultaneous Guardant360 analysis.

  Study EGAS00001003352

• Non-coding RNAs in breast cancer

  Using RNA CaptureSeq we annotated non-coding RNAs transcribed from genome intervals surrounding breast cancer risk signals in a range of mammary-derived tissue and cell lines.

  Study EGAS00001003353

• Personalised Mapping of Tumour Development in Synchronous Colorectal Cancer Patients

  We performed an in-depth characterisation of 12 tumours from 3 syCRC patients by analysing histopathological, whole genome sequencing and RNA-sequencing data. We assessed the extent of genetic overlap between synchronous tumours and examined associations between clinicopathological information and the molecular, microbial and immune features of each tumour genome.

  Study EGAS00001004413

• Genomic and transcriptomic determinants of therapy resistance and immune landscape evolution during anti-EGFR treatment in colorectal cancer

  Despite biomarker stratification, the anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab is only effective against a subgroup of colorectal cancers (CRC). This genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the cetuximab resistance landscape in 35 RAS wild-type CRCs identified associations of NF-1 and non-canonical RAS/RAF-aberrations with primary resistance and validated transcriptomic CRC-subtypes as non-genetic predictors of benefit. 64% of biopsies with acquired resistance harbored no genetic resistance drivers. Most of these had switched from a cetuximab-sensitive transcriptomic subtype pre-treatment to a fibroblast- and growth factor-rich subtype at progression. Fibroblast-supernatant conferred cetuximab resistance in vitro, confirming a major role for non-genetic resistance through stromal remodeling. Cetuximab treatment increased cytotoxic immune infiltrates and PDL1 and LAG3 immune-checkpoint expression, potentially providing opportunities to treat cetuximab-resistant CRCs with immunotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001003367

• organoid data of colorectal cancers

  Study EGAS00001003360

• Single-cell RNA-seq of immune cells sorted from human melanoma tumors

  Tumor immune cell compositions play a major role in response to immunotherapy but the heterogeneity and dynamics of immune infiltrates in human cancer lesions remain poorly characterized. Here we identify conserved intratumoral CD4 and CD8 T cell behaviors in scRNA-seq data from 25 melanoma patients. We discover a large population of CD8 T cells showing continuous progression from an early effector "transitional" into a dysfunctional T cell state. CD8 T cells that express a complete cytotoxic gene set are rare, and TCR sharing data suggest their independence from the transitional and dysfunctional cell states. Notably, we demonstrate that dysfunctional T cells are the major intratumoral proliferating immune cell compartment and that the intensity of the dysfunctional signature is associated with tumor-reactivity. Our data demonstrate that CD8 T cells previously defined as exhausted, are in fact a highly proliferating, clonal and dynamically differentiating cell population within the human tumor microenvironment.

  Study EGAS00001003363

• DAC for integrated genomics of metastatic prostate cancer

  Dac EGAC00001000230

• Extreme intratumor heterogeneity and driver evolution in mismatch repair deficient gastro-esophageal cancer

  Study EGAS00001003434

• Detection of mutational patterns in cell free DNA (cfDNA) of colorectal cancer by custom amplicon sequencing

  Monitoring the mutational patterns of solid tumors during cancer therapy is a major challenge in oncology. Analysis of mutations in cell free (cf) DNA offers a non-invasive approach to detect mutations that may be prognostic for disease survival or predictive for primary or secondary drug resistance. A main challenge for the application of cfDNA as a diagnostic tool is the diverse mutational landscape of cancer. Here, we developed a flexible end-to-end experimental and bioinformatics workflow to analyze mutations in cfDNA using custom amplicon sequencing. Our approach relies on open software tools to select primers suitable for multiplex PCR using minimal cfDNA as input. In addition, we developed a robust linear model to identify specific genetic alterations from sequencing data of cfDNA. We used our method to design a custom amplicon panel suitable for detection of hotspot mutations relevant for colorectal cancer and analyzed mutations in serial cfDNA samples from 34 patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Our data demonstrates that recurrent and patient-specific mutational patterns can be reliably detected for the majority of patients. Furthermore, we show that the allele frequency of mutations in cfDNA correlates well with disease progression. Finally, we demonstrate that monitoring of cfDNA can outperform the predictive power of currently used tumor markers and reveal mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR antibody treatment.

  Study EGAS00001003382

• Utility of ctDNA to support patient selection for early phase clinical trials: The TARGET Study

  Next generation sequencing (NGS) of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) supports blood-based genomic profiling but is not routinely implemented in the clinic. TARGET is a molecular profiling programme with the primary aim to match patients to early phase clinical trials based on analysis of both somatic mutations and copy number alterations (CNA) across a 641 cancer-associated gene panel in a single ctDNA assay. For the first 100 TARGET patients, ctDNA data showed good concordance with matched tumour and results were turned round within a clinically acceptable timeframe for Molecular Tumour Board (MTB) review. When applying a 2.5% Variant Allele Frequency (VAF) threshold actionable mutations were identified in 41/100 patients, with 11 of these patients going onto a matched therapy. These data support the application of ctDNA in an early phase trial setting where broad genomic profiling of contemporaneous tumour material enhances patient stratification to novel therapies and provides a practical template for bringing blood-based analyses to the clinic.

  Study EGAS00001003407

• Whole genome sequencing of Ewings Sarcoma

  Sarcomas are cancers of the bone and soft tissue often defined by their gene fusions. However, the timing, context, and processes by which these pathogenic fusions arise are unknown. We explored this in Ewing sarcoma, a cancer driven by EWSR1-ETS fusions, with very few cooperating mutations. Combining whole-genome sequencing with enhanced informatics, we found that the EWSR1-ETS fusion arose from striking rearrangement clusters in 42% of cases (52/124). Notably, these were organized in loops that universally contained the fusion at their center, while also weaving up to 18 genes together with it. We found the same pattern of rearrangements in three additional types of sarcoma. From these data, we define a new signature for sarcoma fusions that precedes other somatic changes, in the earliest replicating DNA of the genome. This dramatic, sudden process impinges on many genes – generating multiple coding changes that profoundly affect the transcriptome, with the disease-defining gene fusion at its core. These rearrangement loops emerge in an early ES clone from which both the primary tumor and the lethal relapse emerged, and then evolved in parallel until clinically detected.

  Study EGAS00001003385

• Sequencing Study in COPD cases and controls

  Since smokers with COPD have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than those without, we hypothesized that they carry more mutations in affected tissue. We called somatic mutations in airway brush samples from medium-coverage whole genome sequencing data from healthy never and ex-smokers (n=8), as well as from ex-smokers with variable degrees of COPD (n=4). Owing to the limited concordance of resulting calls between the applied tools we built a consensus, a strategy that was validated with high accuracy for cancer data.

  Study EGAS00001003406

• Combined MEK and BCL-2/XL inhibition is effective in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patient-derived xenograft models and BIM levels are predictive of responsiveness

  Most patients with late stage high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) initially respond to chemotherapy but inevitably relapse and develop resistance, highlighting the need for novel therapies to improve patient outcomes. The MEK/ERK pathway is activated in a large subset of HGSOC, thus making it an attractive therapeutic target. Here, we systematically evaluated the extent of MEK/ERK pathway activation and efficacy of pathway inhibition in a large panel of well-annotated HGSOC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The vast majority of models were nonresponsive to the MEK inhibitor cobimetinib (GDC-0973) despite effective pathway inhibition. Proteomic analyses of adaptive responses to GDC-0973 revealed that GDC-0973 upregulated the pro-apoptotic protein BIM, thus priming the cells for apoptosis regulated by BCL2-family proteins. Indeed, combination of both MEK inhibitor and dual BCL-2/XL inhibitor (ABT-263) significantly reduced cell number, increased cell death and displayed synergy in vitro in most models. In vivo, the GDC-0973 and ABT-263 combination was well tolerated and resulted in greater tumor growth inhibition than single agents. Detailed proteomic and correlation analyses identified two subsets of responsive models – those with high BIM at baseline that was increased with MEK inhibition and those with low basal Bim and high pERK levels. Models with low BIM and low pERK were non-responsive. Our findings demonstrate that combined MEK and BCL-2/XL inhibition has therapeutic activity in HGSOC models and provide a mechanistic rationale for clinical evaluation of this drug combination as well as the assessment of the extent to which BIM and/or pERK levels predict drug combination effectiveness in chemoresistant HGSOC.

  Study EGAS00001003427

• Functional and genomic heterogeneity of long-term self-renewing compartment as the origin of treatment resistance in pancreatic tumors

  Adaptive drug-resistance mechanisms allow human tumors to evade treatment through selection and expansion of treatment-resistant clones. Here, studying clonal evolution of tumor cells derived from human pancreatic tumors, we demonstrate that in vitro cultures and in vivo tumors are maintained by a common set of tumorigenic cells that can be used to establish clonal replica tumors (CRTs), large cohorts of animals bearing human tumors with identical clonal composition. Using CRTs to conduct quantitative assessments of adaptive responses to therapeutics, we uncovered a multitude of functionally heterogeneous subpopulations of cells with differential degrees of drug sensitivity. High-throughput isolation and deep characterization of unique clonal lineages showed genetic and transcriptomic diversity underlying functionally diverse subpopulations. Molecular annotation of gemcitabine-naïve clonal lineages with distinct responses to treatment in the context of CRTs generated signatures that can predict the response to chemotherapy, representing a potential biomarker to stratify patients with pancreatic cancer. RNA-Seq data on these clones are available on EBI ENA, under accession number: PRJEB27735.

  Study EGAS00001003442

• Adenoma to Carcinoma transition in Colorectal Cancer

  Although colorectal carcinoma development is well accepted as a step-wise and sequential process, it is commonly investigated using non-sequential adenoma and carcinoma samples. Here we compared molecular pathologies of the earliest carcinoma stages with those in their adenomatous precursors to unravel common and divergent genetic traits between matched neoplasms with a shared evolutionary history but different contemporary biology.

  Study EGAS00001003468

• Exome sequencing of synchronous colorectal cancers

  Approximately 4% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients have at least two simultaneous cancers in the colon. Due to the shared environment, these synchronous CRCs (SCRCs) provide a unique setting to study colorectal carcinogenesis. Understanding whether these tumors are genetically similar or distinct is essential when designing therapeutic approaches. We performed exome sequencing of 47 primary cancers and corresponding normal samples from 23 patients. Additionally, we carried out a comprehensive mutational signature analysis to assess whether tumors had undergone similar mutational processes and the first immune cell score analysis (IS) of SCRC to analyze the interplay between immune cell invasion and mutation profile in both lesions of an individual. The tumor pairs shared only few mutations, favoring different mutations in known CRC genes and signaling pathways, and displayed variation in their signature content. Two tumor pairs had discordant mismatch repair statuses. In majority of the pairs, IS varied between primaries. Differences were not explained by any clinicopathological variable or mutation burden.

  Study EGAS00001003474

• High-resolution structural genomics reveals new therapeutic vulnerabilities in glioblastoma

  We investigated the role of 3D genome architecture in instructing functional properties of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) by generating the highest-resolution 3D genome maps to-date for this cancer. Integration of DNA contact maps with chromatin and transcriptional profiles identified specific mechanisms of gene regulation, including individual physical interactions between regulatory regions and their target genes. Residing in structurally conserved regions in GSCs was CD276, a gene known to play a role in immuno-modulation. We show that, unexpectedly, CD276 is part of a stemness network in GSCs and can be targeted with an antibody-drug conjugate to curb self-renewal, a key stemness property. Our results demonstrate that integrated structural genomics datasets can be employed to rationally identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in self-renewing cells.

  Study EGAS00001003493