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 …

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

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 …

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

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 »

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces DNA damage, through CHK1 degradation and impaired 53BP1 recruitment, and cellular senescence

SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has been the focus of intense research since its detection in late 2019. It is known that viral infection affects several cellular processes, including senescence and inflammation, and prior studies also point toward SARS-CoV-2 infection causing engagement of components of the DNA damage repair machinery. However, questions remain about …

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces DNA damage, through CHK1 degradation and impaired 53BP1 recruitment, and cellular senescence Read More »

Cellular mechanisms of heterogeneity in NF2-mutant schwannoma

Schwannomas are sporadic, usually benign tumors that develop predominately on spinal nerve roots and cranial nerves. Inactivation of NF2 in Schwann cells (SC) is the cause of nearly all schwannomas and mutations in additional genes are few if present at all. Despite their genetic similarity, NF2-mutant schwannomas are characterized by significant variability, exhibiting diverse natural …

Cellular mechanisms of heterogeneity in NF2-mutant schwannoma Read More »

Modulation of the Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Immune Microenvironment by Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) uses multiple targeted beams of radiation to damage malignant cells while limiting effects to surrounding tissue. SBRT is a standard treatment for various cancers that elicit strong immune responses, but immunologically cold tumors, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), are often refractory. SBRT has been shown to promote opposing antitumor and …

Modulation of the Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Immune Microenvironment by Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Read More »

Multimodal integration of radiology, pathology and genomics for prediction of response to PD-(L)1 blockade in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Predictive biomarkers to determine which non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients will respond to immunotherapy are currently lacking. In this Nature Cancer publication, the authors combine computed tomography imaging, PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC), and genomic data to predict responses to immunotherapy in a retrospective study of 247 NSCLC patients. PD-L1 IHC slides were scanned at …

Multimodal integration of radiology, pathology and genomics for prediction of response to PD-(L)1 blockade in patients with non-small cell lung cancer Read More »

Prognostic Value of CD8+ Lymphocytes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Perineoplastic Parenchyma Assessed by Interface Density Profiles in Liver Resection Samples

This study examined CD8+ cell distribution in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and peritumoral liver tissue to investigate the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). It is well understood that CD8+ lymphocytes are involved in both the anti-tumor response and in managing hepatocyte damage in the parenchyma. Further, it was previously known that HCC often develops …

Prognostic Value of CD8+ Lymphocytes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Perineoplastic Parenchyma Assessed by Interface Density Profiles in Liver Resection Samples Read More »

Polycomb deficiency drives a FOXP2-high aggressive state targetable by epigenetic inhibitors

EZH2 is the catalytic component of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and performs trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) to silence chromatin. PRC2 is known to play different roles in different cancers and inhibitors of PRC2 histone methyltransferase EZH2 are approved for certain cancers. One aspect of this study was a mouse model …

Polycomb deficiency drives a FOXP2-high aggressive state targetable by epigenetic inhibitors Read More »

ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Expression in the Normal and COVID-19 Pancreas

Kusmartseva, I., Wu, W., Syed, F. et al. ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Expression in the Normal and COVID-19 Pancreas. This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review.  doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.31.270736 Diabetes is associated with increased mortality from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Given literature suggesting a potential association between SARS-CoV-2 infection …

ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Expression in the Normal and COVID-19 Pancreas Read More »