RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Genetic testing uptake is low, despite the well-established connection between pathogenic variants in certain cancer-linked susceptibility genes and ovarian cancer risk. Given that most major insurers cover genetic testing for those with a family history suggestive of hereditary cancer, the issue may lie in access to genetic testing. Remotely accessible web-based communication systems may improve awareness, and uptake, of genetic testing services. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to present the development and formative evaluation of the multistep web-based communication system required to support the implementation of, and access to, genetic testing. METHODS: While designing the multistep web-based communication system, we considered various barriers and facilitators to genetic testing, guided by dimensions of accessibility. In addition to conducting usability testing, we performed ongoing assessments focusing on the function of the web-based system and participant response rates, with the goal of continuing to make modifications to the web-based communication system as it is in use. RESULTS: The combined approach of usability testing and expert user experience consultation resulted in several modifications to the multistep web-based communication system, including changes that related to imagery and content, web accessibility, and general organization of the web-based system. All recommendations were made with the goal of improving the overall accessibility of the web-based communication system. CONCLUSIONS: A multistep web-based communication system appears to be an effective way to address many potential barriers to access, which may otherwise make genetic testing difficult for at-risk individuals to participate in. Importantly, some dimensions of access were easy to assess before study recruitment, but other aspects of the communication system required ongoing assessment during the implementation process of the Making Genetic Testing Accessible study.
RESUMEN
Breast and ovarian cancer patients harboring BRCA1/2 germline mutations have clinically benefitted from therapy with PARP inhibitor (PARPi) or platinum compounds, but acquired resistance limits clinical impact. In this study, we investigated the impact of mutations on BRCA1 isoform expression and therapeutic response. Cancer cell lines and tumors harboring mutations in exon 11 of BRCA1 express a BRCA1-Δ11q splice variant lacking the majority of exon 11. The introduction of frameshift mutations to exon 11 resulted in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay of full-length, but not the BRCA1-Δ11q isoform. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing as well as overexpression experiments revealed that the BRCA1-Δ11q protein was capable of promoting partial PARPi and cisplatin resistance relative to full-length BRCA1, both in vitro and in vivo Furthermore, spliceosome inhibitors reduced BRCA1-Δ11q levels and sensitized cells carrying exon 11 mutations to PARPi treatment. Taken together, our results provided evidence that cancer cells employ a strategy to remove deleterious germline BRCA1 mutations through alternative mRNA splicing, giving rise to isoforms that retain residual activity and contribute to therapeutic resistance. Cancer Res; 76(9); 2778-90. ©2016 AACR.
Asunto(s)
Proteína BRCA1/genética , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos/genética , Neoplasias Ováricas/genética , Empalme Alternativo/genética , Animales , Proteína BRCA1/metabolismo , Western Blotting , Cisplatino/farmacología , Femenino , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente , Mutación de Línea Germinal , Humanos , Inmunohistoquímica , Ratones , Inhibidores de Poli(ADP-Ribosa) Polimerasas/farmacología , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Isoformas de Proteínas , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoRESUMEN
Identification of safe, effective treatments to mitigate toxicity after extensive radiation exposure has proven challenging. Only a limited number of candidate approaches have emerged, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any agent for a mass-casualty radiation disaster. Because patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation undergo radiation treatment that produces toxicities similar to radiation-disaster exposure, we studied patients early after such treatment to identify new approaches to this problem. Patients rapidly developed endotoxemia and reduced plasma bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), a potent endotoxin-neutralizing protein, in association with neutropenia. We hypothesized that a treatment supplying similar endotoxin-neutralizing activity might replace the BPI deficit and mitigate radiation toxicity and tested this idea in mice. A single 7-Gy radiation dose, which killed 95% of the mice by 30 days, was followed 24 hours later by twice-daily, subcutaneous injections of the recombinant BPI fragment rBPI21 or vehicle alone for 14 or 30 days, with or without an oral fluoroquinolone antibiotic with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, including that against endotoxin-bearing Gram-negative bacteria. Compared to either fluoroquinolone alone or vehicle plus fluoroquinolone, the combined rBPI21 plus fluoroquinolone treatment improved survival, accelerated hematopoietic recovery, and promoted expansion of stem and progenitor cells. The observed efficacy of rBPI21 plus fluoroquinolone initiated 24 hours after lethal irradiation, combined with their established favorable bioactivity and safety profiles in critically ill humans, suggests the potential clinical use of this radiation mitigation strategy and supports its further evaluation.