Feasibility of large-scale population testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection by self-testing at home.

The simplicity and low cost of rapid point-of-care tests greatly facilitate large-scale population testing, which can contribute to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We evaluated the applicability of a self-testing strategy for SARS-CoV2 in a population-based, cross-sectional study in Cantabria, Spain, between April and May 2020. For the self-testing strategy, participants received the necessary material for the self-collection of blood and performance of a rapid antibody test using lateral flow immunoassay at home without the supervision of healthcare personnel. A total of 1,022 participants were enrolled. Most participants correctly performed the COVID-19 self-test the first time (91.3% [95% CI 89.4-92.9]). Only a minority of the participants (0.7%) needed the help of healthcare personnel, while 6.9% required a second kit delivery, for a total valid test result in 96.9% of the participants. Incorrect use of the self-test was not associated with the educational level, age over 65, or housing area. Prevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV2 for subjects with a valid rapid test result was 3.1% (95% CI 2.2-4.4), similar to the seroprevalence result obtained using a conventional approach carried out by healthcare professionals. In conclusion, COVID-19 self-testing should be considered as a screening tool.

Applied diagnostics in liver cancer. Efficient combinations of sorafenib with targeted inhibitors blocking AKT/mTOR.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. There is increasing interest in developing specific markers to serve as predictors of response to sorafenib and to guide targeted therapy. Using a sequencing platform designed to study somatic mutations in a selection of 112 genes (HepatoExome), we aimed to characterize lesions from HCC patients and cell lines, and to use the data to study the biological and mechanistic effects of case-specific targeted therapies used alone or in combination with sorafenib. We characterized 331 HCC cases in silico and 32 paired samples obtained prospectively from primary tumors of HCC patients. Each case was analyzed in a time compatible with the requirements of the clinic (within 15 days). In 53% of the discovery cohort cases, we detected unique mutational signatures, with up to 34% of them carrying mutated genes with the potential to guide therapy. In a panel of HCC cell lines, each characterized by a specific mutational signature, sorafenib elicited heterogeneous mechanistic and biological responses, whereas targeted therapy provoked the robust inhibition of cell proliferation and DNA synthesis along with the blockage of AKT/mTOR signaling. The combination of sorafenib with targeted therapies exhibited synergistic anti-HCC biological activity concomitantly with highly effective inhibition of MAPK and AKT/mTOR signaling. Thus, somatic mutations may lead to identify case-specific mechanisms of disease in HCC lesions arising from multiple etiologies. Moreover, targeted therapies guided by molecular characterization, used alone or in combination with sorafenib, can effectively block important HCC disease mechanisms.

Shared Oncogenic Pathways Implicated in Both Virus-Positive and UV-Induced Merkel Cell Carcinomas.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly malignant neuroendocrine tumor of the skin whose molecular pathogenesis is not completely understood, despite the role that Merkel cell polyomavirus can play in 55-90% of cases. To study potential mechanisms driving this disease in clinically characterized cases, we searched for somatic mutations using whole-exome sequencing, and extrapolated our findings to study functional biomarkers reporting on the activity of the mutated pathways. Confirming previous results, Merkel cell polyomavirus-negative tumors had higher mutational loads with UV signatures and more frequent mutations in TP53 and RB compared with their Merkel cell polyomavirus-positive counterparts. Despite important genetic differences, the two Merkel cell carcinoma etiologies both exhibited nuclear accumulation of oncogenic transcription factors such as NFAT or nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), P-CREB, and P-STAT3, indicating commonly deregulated pathogenic mechanisms with the potential to serve as targets for therapy. A multivariable analysis identified phosphorylated CRE-binding protein as an independent survival factor with respect to clinical variables and Merkel cell polyomavirus status in our cohort of Merkel cell carcinoma patients.

Individualized strategies to target specific mechanisms of disease in malignant melanoma patients displaying unique mutational signatures.

Targeted treatment of advanced melanoma could benefit from the precise molecular characterization of melanoma samples. Using a melanoma-specific selection of 217 genes, we performed targeted deep sequencing of a series of biopsies, from advanced melanoma cases, with a Breslow index of ≥ 4 mm, and/or with a loco-regional infiltration in lymph nodes or presenting distant metastasis, as well of a collection of human cell lines. This approach detected 3-4 mutations per case, constituting unique mutational signatures associated with specific inhibitor sensitivity. Functionally, case-specific combinations of inhibitors that simultaneously targeted MAPK-dependent and MAPK-independent mechanisms were most effective at inhibiting melanoma growth, against each specific mutational background. These observations were challenged by characterizing a freshly resected biopsy from a metastatic lesion located in the skin and soft tissue and by testing its associated therapy ex vivo and in vivo using melanocytes and patient-derived xenografted mice, respectively. The results show that upon mutational characterization of advanced melanoma patients, specific mutational profiles can be used for selecting drugs that simultaneously target several deregulated genes/pathways involved in tumor generation or progression.

MYD88 (L265P) somatic mutation in marginal zone B-cell lymphoma.

MYD88 L265P is a somatic mutation that has been identified in about 90% of Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas (LPLs). It has also been detected in a subset of marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) cases, but the frequency and clinical and histologic features of these mutated MZL cases has only been partially characterized. We have developed a customized TaqMan allele-specific polymerase chain reaction for sensitive detection of this mutation in paraffin-embedded tissue. We analyzed samples from 19 patients with LPL, 88 patients with splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), 8 patients with nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL), 21 patients with extranodal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), and 2 patients with B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified. By integrating mutational, histologic, and clinical data, 5 cases were reclassified as LPL. After reclassification, MYD88 L265P was detected in 13/86 (15%) SMZL and in 19/24 LPL (79%) cases. The mutation was absent from NMZL and MALT cases. A strong correlation was found between the presence of an IgM monoclonal paraproteinemia and the MYD88 L265P mutation (P<0.0001). SMZL cases positive for MYD88 L265P were also associated with monoclonal IgM paraproteinemia (4/13 cases; P<0.0283), although with less serum paraproteinemia. They also had a higher frequency of plasmacytic differentiation (9/13) but with no correlation between the presence of mutation and of light chain-restricted plasma cells in tissue. Demonstration of the MYD88 L265 mutation is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of LPL, although some SMZL cases carrying the mutation do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for LPL.