A better biomarker to predict cetuximab response in CRC patients
2015-04-07
(Press-News.org) The results appear in the 2015 2nd issue of the journal of Human Genome Variation. To see a video about the partnership between Champions and Insilico, visit: http://tinyurl.com/InsilicoChampions .
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. More than 50,000 people die of CRC each year due to tumor spreading to other organs and almost half of all newly diagnosed patients are in an advanced stage of cancer (metastatic CRC or mCRC) when they are first diagnosed.
With the development of cetuximab and panitumumab, the treatment of mCRC has been profoundly improved in the past decade. The clinical trials showed a clear and significant benefit for mCRC patients whose tumor carries wild-type K-ras. But K-ras status is not a perfect biomarker that could help physicians decide if cetuximab should be given to a mCRC patient or not because only 40 to 60% of mCRC patients with wild-type K-ras would respond to cetuximab. There are still up to 60% of mCRC patients with wild-type K-ras will not respond to cetuximab treatment. There is an urgent need to develop new biomarkers or strategies to help physician make better decisions.
During recent collaboration, the two companies, Insilico Medicine and Champions Oncology, found that human CRC TumorGrafts maintain human tumors' properties, such as gene-expression patterns, DNA copy number alteration, mutational status and clinical predictability, allowing scientists to test many drugs and combinations quickly on the mice while patients are waiting for treatment.
Qingsong Zhu, Ph.D, COO of Insilico Medicine, Inc., the leader of the study, said, "Champions' TumorGraft is one of the best drug screening platforms. Using our OncoFinderTM tool, we confirmed that TumorGrafts implanted in laboratory mice retain human CRC tumors' pathway activation profiles. Using data from human CRC TumorGrafts and clinical trial results, we identified PAS as a novel prognostic biomarker for cetuximab in mCRC."
Keren Paz, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Champions Oncology said, "Our TumorGraft platform has been used in many tumor types, including colorectal cancer and are helping physicians improving decision-making. Unfortunately, the entire process of implantation and propagation followed by drug screening typically takes 12-16 weeks and time is critical for definitive treatment, especially for advanced cancer patients. With the help of OncoFinderTM , we may be able to significantly reduce the time and cost of the process."
INFORMATION:
Other authors on the paper are Alexander M Aliper, Evgeny Makarev, Anton A Buzdin, Alex A Zhavoronkov from Insilico Medicine, Inc. and Keren Paz from Champions Oncology, Inc. and Evgeny Izumchenko, David Sidransky from the Johns Hopkins University. END
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-04-07
A Northwestern University research team potentially has found a safer way to keep blood vessels healthy during and after surgery.
During open-heart procedures, physicians administer large doses of a blood-thinning drug called heparin to prevent clot formation. When given too much heparin, patients can develop complications from excessive bleeding. A common antidote is the compound protamine sulfate, which binds to heparin to reverse its effects.
"Protamine is a natural compound that has been used in surgeries for many decades," said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical ...
2015-04-07
The combination of two well-known drugs will have unprecedented effects on pain management, says new research from Queen's.
Combining morphine, a narcotic pain reliever, and nortriptyline, an antidepressant, has been found to successfully relieve chronic neuropathic pain - or a localized sensation of pain due to abnormal function of the nervous system - in 87 per cent of patients, and significantly better than with either drug alone.
"Chronic pain is an increasingly common problem and can exert disastrous personal, societal, and socio-economic impacts on patients, their ...
2015-04-07
In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and their colleagues have found that worldwide only a limited number of mutations are responsible for most cases of transmission of drug-resistant HIV.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can mutate in the presence of antiviral drugs, and these mutations can be transmitted from one person to the next.
In the new study of more than 50,000 patients in 111 countries, the researchers found a small group of mutations accounted for a majority of the cases of transmission-related resistance ...
2015-04-07
Washington, DC (April 7, 2015) - Greater availability of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices for treatment of heart failure is helping expand treatment options for a rapidly growing number of acutely and chronically ill cardiac patients who could benefit from the devices. An expert consensus statement released today by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) provides new guidance to help physicians match ...
2015-04-07
Only a limited number of surveillance drug-resistance mutations (SDRMs) are responsible for most instances of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)- and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-associated resistance, and most strains of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and south/southeast Asia (SSEA) arose independently, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, led by Soo-Yon Rhee of Stanford University, and colleagues, came to these conclusions after analyzing individual virus sequences ...
2015-04-07
While other studies have shown that stress and negative marital quality can influence mortality and blood pressure, there has not been research that discussed how it might affect married couples over time. Using systolic blood pressure as a gauge, researchers assessed whether an individual's blood pressure is influenced by their own as well as their partner's reports of chronic stress and whether there are gender differences in these patterns.
The Journals of Gerontology, Series B®: Psychological Sciences published these findings in the article titled, "Stress and ...
2015-04-07
Is it worth having birds in the city?
If you live in Seattle or Berlin, the answer is yes, to the tune of $120 million and $70 million a year for each city, respectively.
A new study published last month in the journal Urban Ecosystems tries to determine what economic value residents in two comparable cities place on having birds in their backyards and parks. Researchers at the University of Washington and Humboldt State University compared two types of common birds - finches and corvids - in both cities, asking residents how much they would pay to conserve the species ...
2015-04-07
This news release is available in French. The sudden closures of big-box stores like Future Shop and Target may make it seem like online shopping is killing real-world stores. But shoppers are actually engaging in "web-to-store" shopping -- buying offline after comparing prices online.
New research from Concordia University's John Molson School of Business shows this consumer behaviour has important implications for retailers. When setting in-store prices or offering price-matching guarantees, offline retailers should focus more on online retailer ratings than on ...
2015-04-07
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Identifying discrimination is a necessary first step toward confronting and ultimately eliminating the stain of prejudice, yet victims may be unlikely to recognize some types of discrimination unless they have higher self-esteem, according to the results of a new study by two University at Buffalo psychologists.
The study's results highlight the density of the discrimination target's burden, faced first with bigotry and then with the onus of pointing out that behavior.
Attributing personal fate to another person's prejudice, however, is not easy and significant ...
2015-04-07
NEW YORK, NY (April 6, 2015) --A cellular defect that can impair the body's ability to handle high glucose levels and could point the way to a potential new treatment for diabetes has been identified by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers. The CUMC team found that ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) calcium channels in insulin-producing cells play an important and previously underappreciated role in glucose balance.
RyR2 channels control intracellular calcium release. When leaky, they were found to reduce insulin release from the pancreas, resulting in ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] A better biomarker to predict cetuximab response in CRC patients
