Breast cancer metastasis: Is it a matter of OMICS and proper ex-vivo models?

Genomics has greatly increased the understanding of the study of breast cancer (BC) and has shaped the concept of intra-tumor heterogeneity, currently recognized as a propelling force for cancer progression. In this context, knowledge and understanding of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) has somehow lagged behind that of primary breast cancer. This may be explained by the relative scarcity of matched mBC samples, however it is possible that the mutation spectrum obtained from primary BC does not capture the full complexity of the metastatic disease. Here, we provide a few examples supporting this possibility, from public databases. We evoke the need to perform an integrated multi-OMICS characterization of mBC, to obtain a broad understanding of this complex disease, whose evolution cannot be explained solely by genomics. Pertinent to this, we suggest that rather an infrequent use of Patient-Derived -Tumor-Organoids (PDTOs) may be influenced by assuming that the metastatic conditions of PDTOs growth (mPDTOs) should be similar to those of the tissue of origin. We challenge this view by suggesting that the use of "target-organ inspired" growth conditions for mPDTOs, may better fit the emerging knowledge of metastatic disease. Thus, the integrated use of multi-OMICS and of clinically relevant mPDTOs may allow a further understanding of such disease and foster therapeutically relevant advances. We believe that our points may be valid for other solid cancers.

Not enough can be enough: feasibility of the Idylla EGFR mutation test when reuse of stained tissue slides is the only option available.

AIMS: The minimally invasive procedures used in the diagnostic workup of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often provide poor yields of pathological material suitable for molecular analyses. Not infrequently, the DNA yield from small biopsies/cytological samples is insufficient for the assessment of genomic biomarkers that inform personalised therapies. The Idylla EGFR mutation test (IEMT) has been specifically designed to process formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections without requiring preliminary DNA extraction.This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of IEMT when used to analyse archival histopathology material. More specifically, our objective was to establish whether or not different staining procedures could affect assay performance. METHODS: Twenty NSCLC samples were selected accordingly to EGFR mutational status. To mimic archived stained material, sections were subjected to H&E staining, fluorescent in situ hybridisation analyses or immunodetection by immunohistochemistry before being processed for IEMT. RESULTS: Parallel assessment of EGFR mutational status by IEMT on stained sections and next-generation sequencing on DNA yielded a concordant result in 50 out of 60 tests (83.3%). The discoloration of H&E of the archived sample was found to be the optimal procedure to highlight all the actionable alterations of EGFR. CONCLUSIONS: IEMT can provide remarkable diagnostic accuracy for the assessment of EGFR mutational status also when the only source of pathological material available for molecular analyses is represented by H&E stained sections. Ad hoc supervision by a qualified molecular biologist is in any case recommended.

Intrabodies targeting human papillomavirus 16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins for therapy of established HPV-associated tumors.

BACKGROUND: The oncogenic activity of the high risk human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is fully dependent on the E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins produced during viral infection. The oncoproteins interfere with cellular homeostasis by promoting proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and blocking epithelial differentiation, driving the infected cells towards neoplastic progression. The causal relationship between expression of E6/E7 and cellular transformation allows inhibiting the oncogenic process by hindering the activity of the two oncoproteins. We previously developed and characterized some antibodies in single-chain format (scFvs) against the HPV16 E6 and E7 proteins, and demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo their antitumor activity consisting of protective efficacy against tumor progression of HPV16-positive cells. METHODS: Envisioning clinical application of the best characterized anti-HPV16 E6 and -HPV16 E7 scFvs, we verified their activity in the therapeutic setting, on already implanted tumors. Recombinant plasmids expressing the anti-HPV16 E6 scFvI7 with nuclear targeting sequence, or the anti-HPV16 E7 scFv43M2 with endoplasmic reticulum targeting sequence were delivered by injection followed by electroporation to three different preclinical models using C57/BL6 mice, and their effect on tumor growth was investigated. In the first model, the HPV16+ TC-1 Luc cells were used to implant tumors in mice, and tumor growth was measured by luciferase activity; in the second model, a fourfold number of TC-1 cells was used to obtain more aggressively growing tumors; in the third model, the HPV16+ C3 cells where used to rise tumors in mice. To highlight the scFv possible mechanism of action, H&E and caspase-3 staining of tumor section were performed. RESULTS: We showed that both the anti-HPV16 E6 and HPV16 E7 scFvs tested were efficacious in delaying tumor progression in the three experimental models and that their antitumor activity seems to rely on driving tumor cells towards the apoptotic pathway. CONCLUSION: Based on our study, two scFvs have been identified that could represent a safe and effective treatment for the therapy of HPV16-associated lesions. The mechanism underlying the scFv effectiveness appears to be leading cells towards death by apoptosis. Furthermore, the validity of electroporation, a methodology allowed for human treatment, to deliver scFvs to tumors was confirmed.

Design and control of an IPMC wormlike robot.

This paper presents an innovative wormlike robot controlled by cellular neural networks (CNNs) and made of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) self-actuated skeleton. The IPMC actuators, from which it is made of, are new materials that behave similarly to biological muscles. The idea that inspired the work is the possibility of using IPMCs to design autonomous moving structures. CNNs have already demonstrated their powerfulness as new structures for bio-inspired locomotion generation and control. The control scheme for the proposed IPMC moving structure is based on CNNs. The wormlike robot is totally made of IPMCs, and each actuator has to carry its own weight. All the actuators are connected together without using any other additional part, thereby constituting the robot structure itself. Worm locomotion is performed by bending the actuators sequentially from "tail" to "head," imitating the traveling wave observed in real-world undulatory locomotion. The activation signals are generated by a CNN. In the authors' opinion, the proposed strategy represents a promising solution in the field of autonomous and light structures that are capable of reconfiguring and moving in line with spatial-temporal dynamics generated by CNNs.

The importance of spirituality in supportive care.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that the pineal gland plays a fundamental role in mediating either the spiritual perception or the anticancer immunity by stimulating the endogenous production of anticancer cytokine interleukin (IL)-2. OBJECTIVE: The present study was performed to evaluate the impact of a spiritual approach consisting of Kriya Yoga program alone or in association with melatonin (MLT) or low-dose IL-2 plus MLT on the survival time in a group of metastatic cancer patients with life expectancy less than 1 year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control study was carried out in 240 patients (M/F: 146/94; median age: 62 years, range: 34-71, suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer or gastrointestinal tumors) who were subdivided into 6 groups of 40 patients, treated with supportive care alone as a control group, supportive care plus Yoga, MLT alone, MLT plus Yoga, inteleukin-2 plus MLT, or IL-2 plus MLT plus Yoga. RESULTS: The best results in terms of increased survival time were obtained by the association between neuroimmunotherapy with MLT plus IL-2 and Yoga program (2 years), which was significantly longer with respect to that achieved by supportive care alone, Yoga alone, or IL-2 plus MLT alone (1 year). CONCLUSIONS: This study would suggest that a spiritual therapeutic approach may improve the survival time of untreatable metastatic solid tumor patients.