HALO Link Publications

Clinical, histopathological and molecular features of dedifferentiated melanomas: An EORTC Melanoma Group Retrospective Analysis

Melanoma, a highly aggressive type of skin cancer originating from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes, can be a source of diagnostic confusion for pathologists. While primary melanomas are easily recognizable, metastatic melanomas can dedifferentiate and exhibit varied and misleading cyto-architectural characteristics, loss of immunohistochemical markers or present with aberrant morpho-immunophenotypes, leading to diagnostic confusion with non-melanocytic …

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Cancer cell genotype associated tumor immune microenvironment exhibits differential response to therapeutic STING pathway activation in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is known to have a high degree of both genetic and immunologic heterogeneity, can be resistant to chemotherapy, and commonly recurs in patients. It is also the most common form of ovarian cancer and represents the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. HGSC tumors show mutations in the DNA damage repair BRCA1 …

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Booster with Ad26.COV2.S or Omicron-adapted vaccine enhanced immunity and efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in macaques

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines based on the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 Spike (S) protein have been shown to be effective in preventing severe COVID-19, hospitalization, and death. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) exhibiting increasing genetic distance from Wuhan-Hu-1, such as Omicron BA.1 and its subvariants, is troubling. This genetic distance affects the receptor binding domain of …

Booster with Ad26.COV2.S or Omicron-adapted vaccine enhanced immunity and efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in macaques Read More »

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing of hepatitis B virus in chronically infected humanized mice

Daniel Stone,et al, Molecular Therapy Methods & Clinical Development, 2021
Hepatitis B leads to over 850,000 deaths annually due to complications from chronic infection including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. While antiviral drugs successfully reduce viral loads in patients, a cure does not yet exist. This study out of the Jerome laboratory at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center performed in vivo gene editing utilizing a mouse model for chronic HBV infections and demonstrated a proof-of-concept of safe and effective gene editing of the genomic form responsible for replication and persistence. This study utilized the HALO Link image management platform in conjunction with image acquisition on a Leica Biosystems Aperio VERSA 200 slide scanner for their RNAscope studies of Cas9 and HBV.

Monomeric/dimeric forms of Fgf15/FGF19 show differential activity in hepatocyte proliferation and metabolic function

Courtney M. Williams et al, The FASEB Journal, 2021
Williams and colleagues at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals perform structure/function relationship studies on Fgf15 and FGF19 using site-directed mutagenesis and downstream functional assays in order to understand their distinct functions in a common pathway. Both molecules are therapeutic targets due to involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma and bile acid production. This publication identifies a single cysteine residue is identified that controls dimerization and hepatocyte proliferation. Understanding these molecular pathways may inform future studies on hepatocellular carcinoma while limiting toxicity and induction of hepatocyte proliferation. Immunohistochemistry images were quantified in HALO Link using the Cytonuclear IHC module.