| 1. |
- Carlier, Charlotte, et al.
(author)
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Preclinical activity of melflufen (J1) in ovarian cancer
- 2016
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In: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 7:37, s. 59322-59335
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ovarian cancer carries a significant mortality. Since symptoms tend to be minimal, the disease is often diagnosed when peritoneal metastases are already present. The standard of care in advanced ovarian cancer consists of platinum-based chemotherapy combined with cytoreductive surgery. Unfortunately, even after optimal cytoreduction and adjuvant chemotherapy, most patients with stage III disease will develop a recurrence. Intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapy is an alternative treatment for patients with localized disease. The pharmacological and physiochemical properties of melflufen, a peptidase potentiated alkylator, raised the hypothesis that this drug could be useful in ovarian cancer and particularily against peritoneal carcinomatosis. In this study the preclinical effects of melflufen were investigated in different ovarian cancer models. Melflufen was active against ovarian cancer cell lines, primary cultures of patient-derived ovarian cancer cells, and inhibited the growth of subcutaneous A2780 ovarian cancer xenografts alone and when combined with gemcitabine or liposomal doxorubicin when administered intravenously. In addition, an intra-and subperitoneal xenograft model showed activity of intraperitoneal administered melflufen for peritoneal carcinomatosis, with minimal side effects and modest systemic exposure. In conclusion, results from this study support further investigations of melflufen for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer, both for intravenous and intraperitoneal administration.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Aftab, Obaid, 1984-, et al.
(author)
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Detection of cell aggregation and altered cell viability by automated label-free video microscopy : A promising alternative to endpoint viability assays in high throughput screening
- 2015
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In: Journal of Biomolecular Screening. - : Elsevier BV. - 1087-0571 .- 1552-454X. ; 20:3, s. 372-381
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Automated phase-contrast video microscopy now makes it feasible to monitor a high-throughput (HT) screening experiment in a 384-well microtiter plate format by collecting one time-lapse video per well. Being a very cost-effective and label-free monitoring method, its potential as an alternative to cell viability assays was evaluated. Three simple morphology feature extraction and comparison algorithms were developed and implemented for analysis of differentially time-evolving morphologies (DTEMs) monitored in phase-contrast microscopy videos. The most promising layout, pixel histogram hierarchy comparison (PHHC), was able to detect several compounds that did not induce any significant change in cell viability, but made the cell population appear as spheroidal cell aggregates. According to recent reports, all these compounds seem to be involved in inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) signaling. Thus, automated quantification of DTEM (AQDTEM) holds strong promise as an alternative or complement to viability assays in HT in vitro screening of chemical compounds.
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| 4. |
- Aftab, Obaid, 1984-, et al.
(author)
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Label free quantification of time evolving morphologies using time-lapse video microscopy enables identity control of cell lines and discovery of chemically induced differential activity in iso-genic cell line pairs
- 2015
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In: Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems. - 0169-7439 .- 1873-3239. ; 141, s. 24-32
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Label free time-lapse video microscopy based monitoring of time evolving cell population morphology has potential to offer a simple and cost effective method for identity control of cell lines. Such morphology monitoring also has potential to offer discovery of chemically induced differential changes between pairs of cell lines of interest, for example where one in a pair of cell lines is normal/sensitive and the other malignant/resistant. A new simple algorithm, pixel histogram hierarchy comparison (PHHC), for comparison of time evolving morphologies (TEM) in phase contrast time-lapse microscopy movies was applied to a set of 10 different cell lines and three different iso-genic colon cancer cell line pairs, each pair being genetically identical except for a single mutation. PHHC quantifies differences in morphology by comparing pixel histogram intensities at six different resolutions. Unsupervised clustering and machine learning based classification methods were found to accurately identify cell lines, including their respective iso-genic variants, through time-evolving morphology. Using this experimental setting, drugs with differential activity in iso-genic cell line pairs were likewise identified. Thus, this is a cost effective and expedient alternative to conventional molecular profiling techniques and might be useful as part of the quality control in research incorporating cell line models, e.g. in any cell/tumor biology or toxicology project involving drug/agent differential activity in pairs of cell line models.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bjersand, Kathrine, et al.
(author)
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Drug Sensitivity Testing in Cytoreductive Surgery and Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei
- 2015
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In: Annals of Surgical Oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1068-9265 .- 1534-4681. ; 22, s. S810-S816
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC) is an established therapy for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). However, the role of IPC is unclear. By ex vivo assessment of PMP tumor cell sensitivity to cytotoxic drugs, we investigated the basis for IPC drug selection and the role of IPC in the management of PMP.METHODS: Tumor cells were prepared by collagenase digestion of tumor tissue from 133 PMP patients planned for CRS and IPC. Tumor cell sensitivity to oxaliplatin, 5FU, mitomycin C, doxorubicin, irinotecan, and cisplatin was assessed in a 72-h cell-viability assay. Drug sensitivity was correlated to progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).RESULTS: Samples from 92 patients were analyzed successfully. Drug sensitivity varied considerably between samples. Peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis (PMCA), compared with PMCA intermediate or disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis, was slightly more resistant to platinum and 5FU and tumor cells from patients previously treated with chemotherapy were generally less sensitive than those from untreated patients. Multivariate analysis showed patient performance status and completeness of CRS to be prognostic for OS. Among patients with complete CRS (n = 61), PFS tended to be associated with sensitivity to mitomycin C and cisplatin (p ≈ 0.06). At the highest drug concentration tested, the hazard ratio for disease relapse increased stepwise with drug resistance for all drugs.CONCLUSIONS: Ex vivo assessment of drug sensitivity in PMP provides prognostic information. The results suggest a role for IPC as therapeutic adjunct to CRS and for individualization of IPC by pretreatment assessment of drug sensitivity.
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| 7. |
- Blom, Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Ex Vivo Assessment of Drug Activity in Patient Tumor Cells as a Basis for Tailored Cancer Therapy
- 2016
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In: JALA. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-0682. ; 21:1, s. 178-187
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although medical cancer treatment has improved during the past decades, it is difficult to choose between several first-line treatments supposed to be equally active in the diagnostic group. It is even more difficult to select a treatment after the standard protocols have failed. Any guidance for selection of the most effective treatment is valuable at these critical stages. We describe the principles and procedures for ex vivo assessment of drug activity in tumor cells from patients as a basis for tailored cancer treatment. Patient tumor cells are assayed for cytotoxicity with a panel of drugs. Acoustic drug dispensing provides great flexibility in the selection of drugs for testing; currently, up to 80 compounds and/or combinations thereof may be tested for each patient. Drug response predictions are obtained by classification using an empirical model based on historical responses for the diagnosis. The laboratory workflow is supported by an integrated system that enables rapid analysis and automatic generation of the clinical referral response.
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| 8. |
- Blom, Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Predictive Value of Ex Vivo Chemosensitivity Assays for Individualized Cancer Chemotherapy : A Meta-Analysis
- 2017
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In: SLAS TECHNOLOGY. - : Elsevier BV. - 2472-6303. ; 22:3, s. 306-314
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Current treatment strategies for chemotherapy of cancer patients were developed to benefit groups of patients with similar clinical characteristics. In practice, response is very heterogeneous between individual patients within these groups. Precision medicine can be viewed as the development toward a more fine-grained treatment stratification than what is currently in use. Cell-based drug sensitivity testing is one of several options for individualized cancer treatment available today, although it has not yet reached widespread clinical use. We present an up-to-date literature meta-analysis on the predictive value of ex vivo chemosensitivity assays for individualized cancer chemotherapy and discuss their current clinical value and possible future developments.
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| 9. |
- Blom, Kristin, et al.
(author)
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The anticancer effect of mebendazole may be due to M1 monocyte/macrophage activation via ERK1/2 and TLR8-dependent inflammasome activation
- 2017
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In: Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0892-3973 .- 1532-2513. ; 39:4, s. 199-210
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mebendazole (MBZ), a drug commonly used for helminitic infections, has recently gained substantial attention as a repositioning candidate for cancer treatment. However, the mechanism of action behind its anticancer activity remains unclear. To address this problem, we took advantage of the curated MBZ-induced gene expression signatures in the LINCS Connectivity Map (CMap) database. The analysis revealed strong negative correlation with MEK/ERK1/2 inhibitors. Moreover, several of the most upregulated genes in response to MBZ exposure were related to monocyte/macrophage activation. The MBZ-induced gene expression signature in the promyeloblastic HL-60 cell line was strongly enriched in genes involved in monocyte/macrophage pro-inflammatory (M1) activation. This was subsequently validated using MBZ-treated THP-1 monocytoid cells that demonstrated gene expression, surface markers and cytokine release characteristic of the M1 phenotype. At high concentrations MBZ substantially induced the release of IL-1 beta and this was further potentiated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). At low MBZ concentrations, cotreatment with LPS was required for MBZ-stimulated IL-1 beta secretion to occur. Furthermore, we show that the activation of protein kinase C, ERK1/2 and NF-kappaB were required for MBZ-induced IL-1 release. MBZ-induced IL-1 release was found to be dependent on NLRP3 inflammasome activation and to involve TLR8 stimulation. Finally, MBZ induced tumor-suppressive effects in a coculture model with differentiated THP-1 macrophages and HT29 colon cancer cells. In summary, we report that MBZ induced a pro-inflammatory (M1) phenotype of monocytoid cells, which may, at least partly, explain MBZ's anticancer activity observed in animal tumor models and in the clinic.
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| 10. |
- De Rosa, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Design, synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of oligopeptides targeting E. coli type I signal peptidase (LepB)
- 2017
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In: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0968-0896 .- 1464-3391. ; 25:3, s. 897-911
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type I signal peptidases are potential targets for the development of new antibacterial agents. Here we report finding potent inhibitors of E. coli type I signal peptidase (LepB), by optimizing a previously reported hit compound, decanoyl-PTANA-CHO, through modifications at the N- and C-termini. Good improvements of inhibitory potency were obtained, with IC50s in the low nanomolar range. The best inhibitors also showed good antimicrobial activity, with MICs in the low μg/mL range for several bacterial species. The selection of resistant mutants provided strong support for LepB as the target of these compounds. The cytotoxicity and hemolytic profiles of these compounds are not optimal but the finding that minor structural changes cause the large effects on these properties suggests that there is potential for optimization in future studies.
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