Patient-derived organoids and orthotopic xenografts of primary and recurrent gliomas represent relevant patient avatars for precision oncology.

in Acta Neuropathologica (2020)

Patient-based cancer models are essential tools for studying tumor biology and for the assessment of drug responses in a translational context. We report the establishment a large cohort of unique ... [more ▼]

Patient-based cancer models are essential tools for studying tumor biology and for the assessment of drug responses in a translational context. We report the establishment a large cohort of unique organoids and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX) of various glioma subtypes, including gliomas with mutations in IDH1, and paired longitudinal PDOX from primary and recurrent tumors of the same patient. We show that glioma PDOXs enable long-term propagation of patient tumors and represent clinically relevant patient avatars that retain histopathological, genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic features of parental tumors. We find no evidence of mouse-specific clonal evolution in glioma PDOXs. Our cohort captures individual molecular genotypes for precision medicine including mutations in IDH1, ATRX, TP53, MDM2/4, amplification of EGFR, PDGFRA, MET, CDK4/6, MDM2/4, and deletion of CDKN2A/B, PTCH, and PTEN. Matched longitudinal PDOX recapitulate the limited genetic evolution of gliomas observed in patients following treatment. At the histological level, we observe increased vascularization in the rat host as compared to mice. PDOX-derived standardized glioma organoids are amenable to high-throughput drug screens that can be validated in mice. We show clinically relevant responses to temozolomide (TMZ) and to targeted treatments, such as EGFR and CDK4/6 inhibitors in (epi)genetically defined subgroups, according to MGMT promoter and EGFR/CDK status, respectively. Dianhydrogalactitol (VAL-083), a promising bifunctional alkylating agent in the current clinical trial, displayed high therapeutic efficacy, and was able to overcome TMZ resistance in glioblastoma. Our work underscores the clinical relevance of glioma organoids and PDOX models for translational research and personalized treatment studies and represents a unique publicly available resource for precision oncology. [less ▲]

Stem cell-associated heterogeneity in Glioblastoma results from intrinsic tumor plasticity shaped by the microenvironment

in Nature communications (2019), 10(1), 1787

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals distinct inflammation-induced microglia signatures

in EMBO Reports (2018)

Microglia are specialized parenchymal‐resident phagocytes of the central nervous system (CNS) that actively support, defend and modulate the neural environment. Dysfunctional microglial responses are ... [more ▼]

Microglia are specialized parenchymal‐resident phagocytes of the central nervous system (CNS) that actively support, defend and modulate the neural environment. Dysfunctional microglial responses are thought to worsen CNS diseases; nevertheless, their impact during neuroinflammatory processes remains largely obscure. Here, using a combination of single‐cell RNA sequencing and multicolour flow cytometry, we comprehensively profile microglia in the brain of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐injected mice. By excluding the contribution of other immune CNS‐resident and peripheral cells, we show that microglia isolated from LPS‐injected mice display a global downregulation of their homeostatic signature together with an upregulation of inflammatory genes. Notably, we identify distinct microglial activated profiles under inflammatory conditions, which greatly differ from neurodegenerative disease‐associated profiles. These results provide insights into microglial heterogeneity and establish a resource for the identification of specific phenotypes in CNS disorders, such as neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. [less ▲]

A comprehensive integrative analysis of the transcriptional network underlying the zebrafish heart regeneration

Poster (2014, September 08)

Despite a notable reduction in incidence of acute myocardial infarction (MI), patients who experienced it remain at risk for premature death and cardiac malfunction. The human cardiomyocytes are not able ... [more ▼]

Despite a notable reduction in incidence of acute myocardial infarction (MI), patients who experienced it remain at risk for premature death and cardiac malfunction. The human cardiomyocytes are not able to achieve extensive regeneration upon MI. Remarkably, the adult zebrafish is able to achieve complete heart regeneration following amputation, cryoinjury or genetic ablation. This raises new potential opportunities on how to boost heart healing capacity in humans. The objective of our research is to characterize the transcriptional network of the zebrafish heart regeneration and underlying regulatory mechanisms. To conduct our investigation, we used microarray data from zebrafish at 6 post-cryoinjury time points (4 hours, and 1, 3, 7, 14 and 90 days) and control samples. We thereon looked for the gene co-expression patterns in the data and, based on that, constructed a weighted gene co-expression network. To detect candidate functional sub-networks (modules), we used two different network clustering approaches: a density-based (ClusterONE) and a topological overlap-based (Hybrid Dynamic Branch Cut) algorithms. The visualization of the expression changes of the candidate modules reflected the dynamics of the recovery process. Also we aimed to identify candidate “hub” genes that might regulate the behavior of the biological modules and drive the regeneration process. We identified eighteen distinct modules associated with heart recovery upon cryoinjury. Functional enrichment analysis displayed that the modules are involved in different cellular processes crucial for heart regeneration, including: cell fate specification (p-value < 0.006) and migration (p-value < 0.047), ribosome biogenesis (p-value < 0.004), cardiac cell differentiation (p-value < 3E-04), and various signaling events (p-value < 0.037). The visualization of the modules’ expression profiles confirmed the relevance of these functional enrichments. For instance, the genes of the module involved in regulation of endodermal cell fate specification were up-regulated upon injury until 3 days. Among the candidate hub genes detected in the network, there are genes relevant to atherosclerosis treatment and inflammation during cardiac arrest. These and other findings are currently undergoing deeper computational analyses. The top promising targets will be independently validated using our zebrafish (in vivo) model. In conclusion, our findings provide insights into the complex regulatory mechanisms involved during heart regeneration in the zebrafish. These data will be useful for modelling specific network-based responses to heart injury, and for finding sensitive network points that may trigger or boost heart regeneration. [less ▲]

Side population in human glioblastoma is non-tumorigenic and characterizes brain endothelial cells.

in Brain : a journal of neurology (2013), 136(Pt 5), 1462-75

The identification and significance of cancer stem-like cells in malignant gliomas remains controversial. It has been proposed that cancer stem-like cells display increased drug resistance, through the ... [more ▼]

The identification and significance of cancer stem-like cells in malignant gliomas remains controversial. It has been proposed that cancer stem-like cells display increased drug resistance, through the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters that detoxify cells by effluxing exogenous compounds. Here, we investigated the 'side population' phenotype based on efflux properties of ATP-binding cassette transporters in freshly isolated human glioblastoma samples and intracranial xenografts derived thereof. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis on sorted cells obtained from glioblastoma biopsies, as well as human tumour xenografts developed in immunodeficient enhanced green fluorescence protein-expressing mice that allow an unequivocal tumour-stroma discrimination, we show that side population cells in human glioblastoma are non-neoplastic and exclusively stroma-derived. Tumour cells were consistently devoid of efflux properties regardless of their genetic background, tumour ploidy or stem cell associated marker expression. Using multi-parameter flow cytometry we identified the stromal side population in human glioblastoma to be brain-derived endothelial cells with a minor contribution of astrocytes. In contrast with their foetal counterpart, neural stem/progenitor cells in the adult brain did not display the side population phenotype. Of note, we show that CD133-positive cells often associated with cancer stem-like cells in glioblastoma biopsies, do not represent a homogenous cell population and include CD31-positive endothelial cells. Interestingly, treatment of brain tumours with the anti-angiogenic agent bevacizumab reduced total vessel density, but did not affect the efflux properties of endothelial cells. In conclusion our findings contribute to an unbiased identification of cancer stem-like cells and stromal cells in brain neoplasms, and provide novel insight into the complex issue of drug delivery to the brain. Since efflux properties of endothelial cells are likely to compromise drug availability, transiently targeting ATP-binding cassette transporters may be a valuable therapeutic strategy to improve treatment effects in brain tumours. [less ▲]