Regulation of the proline regulatory axis and autophagy modulates stemness in TP73/p73 deficient cancer stem-like cells

Cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) reside as a small population within tumors, which mostly contain a larger population of differentiated cells. With their unique self-renewing abilities, CSLCs remain refractory to various therapeutic interventions, which otherwise kill differentiated cancer cells, and thus are a major culprit behind cancer treatment failures and cancer relapse. Recently, the process of macroautophagy/autophagy has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for eliminating CSLCs, as autophagic homeostasis has been discovered to play an important role in the growth of cancer and normal stem cells, and is required for the maintenance of the non-differentiated state of CSLCs. Our current work now shows that the so-called 'tumor suppressor' TP73/p73 plays an unconventional role in CSLC biology, and positively regulates the growth and stemness of CSLCs through the modulation of autophagy. Our data show that TP73/p73 deficiency, promotes autophagy in CSLCs by activating the autophagy machinery involving AMPK-TSC-MTOR signaling. Mechanistically, TP73/p73 deficiency-induced autophagy occurs as a result of reduced ATP levels resulting from the metabolic perturbations within the proline regulatory axis. Collectively, these findings unveil novel therapeutically-relevant implications for autophagy in the TP73/p73-dependent regulation of stemness within CSLCs.

Identification and Characterization of AES-135, a Hydroxamic Acid-Based HDAC Inhibitor That Prolongs Survival in an Orthotopic Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive, incurable cancer with a 20% 1 year survival rate. While standard-of-care therapy can prolong life in a small fraction of cases, PDAC is inherently resistant to current treatments, and novel therapies are urgently required. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are effective in killing pancreatic cancer cells in in vitro PDAC studies, and although there are a few clinical studies investigating combination therapy including HDAC inhibitors, no HDAC drug or combination therapy with an HDAC drug has been approved for the treatment of PDAC. We developed an inhibitor of HDACs, AES-135, that exhibits nanomolar inhibitory activity against HDAC3, HDAC6, and HDAC11 in biochemical assays. In a three-dimensional coculture model, AES-135 kills low-passage patient-derived tumor spheroids selectively over surrounding cancer-associated fibroblasts and has excellent pharmacokinetic properties in vivo. In an orthotopic murine model of pancreatic cancer, AES-135 prolongs survival significantly, therefore representing a candidate for further preclinical testing.

A rapid in vitro methodology for simultaneous target discovery and antibody generation against functional cell subpopulations

Cell surface antigen discovery is of great interest for biomedical research both for isolation of rare cell populations and therapeutic targeting. We developed a rapid, cost-effective, fully in vitro technology which facilities the simultaneous target discovery and human antibody generation on the surface of virtually any cell population of interest. We apply our technique to human colorectal cancer-initiating cells (CICs) and identify hundreds of unique human antibodies. We characterized the top three antibody candidates targeting these CICs and identify their protein targets as integrin α7 (ITGA7), HLA-A1 and integrin β6 (ITGB6). We demonstrate that these antibodies can be used to isolate self-renewing colorectal CICs, and that the integrin α7 antibody can prospectively identify glioblastoma brain tumor initiating cells as well as human muscle stem cells. We also demonstrate that genetic ablation of integrin β6 impedes colorectal CIC function. The methodology can be readily applied to other cell populations including stem cells, cancer, or immune cells to facilitate the rapid identification of novel targets and simultaneous generation of potent and specific antibodies with therapeutic potential.

Tracheal Stenosis: Evaluation of an Institutional Protocol and Introduction of Novel Surgical Criteria and Scoring System

Treatment modalities for treatment of post intubation and post tracheostomy tracheal stenosis are many. However, well defined surgical criteria and prognostic classification eluding us till date. A prospective study of 57 cases of post intubation and post tracheostomy tracheal stenosis managed as per well defined surgical criteria followed in our institution. Patients were divided into three groups as per the primary surgical procedure used. The stenosis was classified into mild, moderate and severe based on our proposed prognostic classification. The success rate of endoscopic procedure was 81% with average 1.6 number of procedures per patient, for tracheoplasty success rate was 63% with 1.4 number of procedure per patient, and similarly for tracheal resection and anastomosis was 90% with 1.1 procedure per patient. The patient score as per our proposed classification correlated well with the prognosis. Our surgical criteria correlates well with success rate reported by other authors and can be helpful for institutions or surgeons dealing with tracheal stenosis occasionally. Our prognostic classification can be used to predict prognosis.

Introduction to Brain Tumor Stem Cells

From stem cells, to the cancer stem cell hypothesis and intratumoral heterogeneity, the following introductory chapter on brain tumor stem cells explores the history of normal and cancerous stem cells, and their implication in the current model of brain tumor development. The origins of stem cells date back to the 1960s, when they were first described as cells capable of self-renewal, extensive proliferation, and differentiation. Since then, many advances have been made and adult stem cells are now known to be present in a very wide variety of tissues. Neural stem cells were subsequently discovered 30 years later, which was shortly followed by the discovery of cancer stem cells in leukemia and in brain tumors over the next decade, effectively enabling a new understanding of cancer. Since then, many markers including CD133, brain cancer stem cells have been implicated in a variety of phenomena including intratumoral heterogeneity on the genomic, cellular, and functional levels, tumor initiation, chemotherapy-resistance, radiation-resistance, and are believed to be ultimately responsible for tumor relapse. Understanding this small and rare population of cells could be the key to solving the great enigma that is cancer.

Detecting Stem Cell Marker Expression Using the NanoString nCounter System

The use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has become commonplace in the study of neuronal development, physiology, disease modelling, and therapy development. Due to the transient nature of working with these cells, it is important to regularly confirm the cell status as a naive stem cell versus a more defined neural progenitor cell (NPC). Classically, this has been done using a panel of specific antibodies to test for the expression of transcription factors known to be observed in ESCs, but not NPCs. However, this method is both time consuming and expensive. Here, we describe the use of the NanoString nCounter system for determining the levels of expression of key transcription factors that will effectively aid in determining the state of your stem cell cultures.

Differentiation of Brain Tumor Initiating Cells

Differentiation is a central key capability of stem cells. Their ability to be multipotent and undergo self-renewal are key identifying features of stem cells. A differentiation assay allows for study of one of the essential features of stem cells, the ability to differentiate into all of the cell types of its lineage, in order to ensure that the cells cultured and utilized in key experiments indeed have stem cell properties. Neural stem cells when plated in differentiation media, differentiate into all three neural lineages: Neurons, Astrocytes, and Oligodendrocytes. Brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) are cells present in brain tumors that possess stem cell properties and are able to self-renew and differentiate into neural lineages. In the current chapter, we discuss protocols involved in immunofluorescence staining and identification of differentiated cells from BTIC populations.

EPH Profiling of BTIC Populations in Glioblastoma Multiforme Using CyTOF

The ability to elucidate the phenotype of brain tumor initiating cell (BTIC) in the context of bulk tumor in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) provides significant therapeutic benefits for therapeutic evaluation. For the identification of such an elusive and rare subpopulation of cells, a single cell analysis technology with deep profiling capabilities known as Mass Cytometry (CyTOF) can prove to be highly useful. CyTOF circumvents the spectral overlap limitations of traditional flow cytometry by replacing fluorophores with metal isotope tags, allowing the accurate detection of significantly more parameters at the same time. In this chapter, we demonstrate that synthetic antibodies can be conjugated with metal isotope tags for CyTOF analysis, resulting in the development of a highly tailored, custom multi-parameter panel. This toolset was used to stain patient-derived GBM cells, which was analyzed via CyTOF. Analysis software viSNE and SPADE were applied to study the co-expression patterns of the Eph Receptor (EphR) family and several putative BTIC markers in GBM, resulting in the identification of a distinct group of cells consistent with a BTIC subpopulation. This approach can be readily adapted to the detection of cancer stem-like cells in other cancer types.

In Vitro Self-Renewal Assays for Brain Tumor Stem Cells

Early development of human organisms relies on stem cells, a population of non-specialized cells that can divide symmetrically to give rise to two identical daughter cells, or divide asymmetrically to produce one identical daughter cell and another more specialized cell. The capacity to undergo cellular divisions while maintaining an undifferentiated state is termed self-renewal and is responsible for the maintenance of stem cell populations during development. In addition, self-renewal plays a crucial role in the homeostasis of developed organism through replacement of defective cells.Similar to their non-malignant counterparts, it has been postulated that tumor cells follow a differentiation hierarchy, with the least differentiated cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs) at the apex. These tumor stem cells possess the ability to self-renew, have a higher capacity to initiate tumor growth when xenografted into an animal model, and can recapitulate the cell heterogeneity of the tumor they originate from. Hence, further investigation of mechanisms governing the self-renewal in cancer can lead to development of novel therapies targeting CSCs.In this chapter, we described the soft agar assay and the limiting dilution assay (LDA) as two easy-to-implement and inexpensive assays to measure the stemness properties of brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs). These techniques constitute useful tools for the preclinical evaluation of therapeutic strategies targeting BTSCs clonogenicity.

TAp73 Modifies Metabolism and Positively Regulates Growth of Cancer Stem-Like Cells in a Redox-Sensitive Manner

PURPOSE

Stem-like cancer cells, with characteristic self-renewal abilities, remain highly refractory to various clinical interventions. As such, stemness-inhibiting entities, such as tumor suppressor p53, are therapeutically pursued for their anticancer activities. Interestingly, similar implications for tumor suppressor TAp73 in regulating stemness features within stem-like cancer cells remain unknown.Experimental Design: This study utilizes various in vitro molecular biology techniques, including immunoblotting, qRT-PCR, and mass spectrometry-based proteomics, and metabolomics approaches to study the role of TAp73 in human and murine embryonal carcinoma stem-like cells (ECSLC) as well as human breast cancer stem-like cells (BCSLC). These findings were confirmed using patient-derived brain tumor-initiating cells (BTIC) and in vivo xenograft models.

RESULTS

TAp73 inhibition decreases the expression of stem cell transcription factors Oct4, Nanog, and Sox-2, as well as tumorsphere formation capacity in ECSLCs. In vivo, TAp73-deficient ECSLCs and BCSLCs demonstrate decreased tumorigenic potential when xenografted in mice. Mechanistically, TAp73 modifies the proline regulatory axis through regulation of enzymes GLS, OAT, and PYCR1 involved in the interconversion of proline-glutamine-ornithine. Further, TAp73 deficiency exacerbates glutamine dependency, enhances accumulation of reactive oxygen species through reduced superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) expression, and promotes differentiation by arresting cell cycle and elevating autophagy. Most importantly, the knockdown of TAp73 in CD133^HI BTICs, separated from three different glioblastoma patients, strongly decreases the expression of prosurvival factors Sox-2, BMI-1, and SOD1, and profoundly decreases their self-renewal capacity as evidenced through their reduced tumorsphere formation ability.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, we reveal a clinically relevant aspect of cancer cell growth and stemness regulation through TAp73-mediated redox-sensitive metabolic reprogramming.

Women's empowerment and use of contraception in India: Macro and micro perspectives emerging from NFHS-4 (2015-16)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Based on the four-corner stone of population and development programmes recognized by ICPD (1994) this paper envisages the relationship between the recent waves of women's empowerment anduse of contraceptive methods in India.

DATA AND METHODS

Findings are based on two rounds of NFHS (3 & 4). Liberson's Diversity Index has been used to assess the inequality in women's empowerment. Multiple regression analysis is used to portray the relationship and logistic regression is used to access the adjusted effects of various dimensions of women's empowerment on use of contraception.

RESULTS

Varying degrees of equity in women's empowerment across different states of India builds a combative relationship with uptake of contraceptive methods. Results portray a positive association between inequality in household decision making, engaged in paid work in last 12 months and having 10 years of schooling with use of any modern method. Women who participated in household decision making (OR = 1.17 p < 0.005), using mobile phone (OR = 1.23 p < 0.005) and working and were paid in cash in last 12 months (OR = 1.37 p < 0.005) are significantly more likely to use any method of contraception.

CONCLUSIONS

Status of women in India has improved in different dimensions, yet the patriarchal norms influence the decision of using contraception. The current women-centric bottom-top approach in implementation of family planning programme should focus at the women's right to decision on their own life and health. Such efforts should hinge at strengthening inter personal counseling and capacity building sessions by outreach workers, which may empower women with enhanced knowledge about their health and bodily rights.

Therapeutic Targeting of the Premetastatic Stage in Human Lung-to-Brain Metastasis

Brain metastases (BM) result from the spread of primary tumors to the brain and are a leading cause of cancer mortality in adults. Secondary tissue colonization remains the main bottleneck in metastatic development, yet this "premetastatic" stage of the metastatic cascade, when primary tumor cells cross the blood-brain barrier and seed the brain before initiating a secondary tumor, remains poorly characterized. Current studies rely on specimens from fully developed macrometastases to identify therapeutic options in cancer treatment, overlooking the potentially more treatable "premetastatic" phase when colonizing cancer cells could be targeted before they initiate the secondary brain tumor. Here we use our established brain metastasis initiating cell (BMIC) models and gene expression analyses to characterize premetastasis in human lung-to-BM. Premetastatic BMIC engaged invasive and epithelial developmental mechanisms while simultaneously impeding proliferation and apoptosis. We identified the dopamine agonist apomorphine to be a potential premetastasis-targeting drug. In vivo treatment with apomorphine prevented BM formation, potentially by targeting premetastasis-associated genes KIF16B, SEPW1, and TESK2 Low expression of these genes was associated with poor survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. These results illuminate the cellular and molecular dynamics of premetastasis, which is subclinical and currently impossible to identify or interrogate in human patients with BM. These data present several novel therapeutic targets and associated pathways to prevent BM initiation.Significance: These findings unveil molecular features of the premetastatic stage of lung-to-brain metastases and offer a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent brain metastases. Cancer Res; 78(17); 5124-34. ©2018 AACR.

Abstract 44: Characterization and targeting of a temporal micro-metastatic signature in human brain metastases

Metastases to the brain (BM) are the most common neoplasms to affect the adult central nervous system, arising in 40% of cancer patients and at a rate 10 times greater than primary brain tumors. Despite the prevalence and poor survival rates, therapeutic strategies for BM remain limited, and a substantial cause is the lack of proper preclinical models available to interrogate the intricacies of BM development. Previous work in our lab utilized BM samples from patient-derived lung-to-brain metastases to successfully establish clinically relevant in vivo models of BM. Here we further characterized the cells responsible for BM, termed brain metastasis initiation cells (BMIC). Patient-derived BMICs were injected via intracranial (BT), intracardiac (IC) and intrathoracic (IT) routes into NOD/SCID mice and re-isolated at different stages of metastatic progression. We isolated cells from primary lung tumors (LT), cells injected via intra-thoracic route that crossed the blood brain barrier to seed the brain forming micro-metastases (BMIT), and cells injected via intracardiac route that seeded large macro-metastases (BMIC). Through RNA sequencing we determined cells from BMIT (micro-metastasis stage) to retain a vastly different genetic profile compared to BMICs isolated at other stages of metastasis. Several of these genes belonged to pathways implicated in autonomic central nervous system neoplasms and neural development. Through connectivity mapping of BMIT profiles we discovered drugs that could inhibit the micro-metatsasis signature, and further in vitro validation revealed apomorphine to reduce BMIC sphere formation and proliferation. In vivo treatment with apomorphine blocked both micro- and macro-metastatic stages of our BMIC model. Of 5 BMIT genes identified to be specifically targeted by apomorphine, KIF16B, TESK2 and SEPW1 were shown to have significant value when applied as an independent prognostic signature in a cohort of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Future work will further validate the efficacy of apomorphine in targeting BMICs in primary lung cancer patient samples. With this work we present a possible new avenue for therapeutic targeting toward the prevention of BM development, where it is anticipated to transform a uniformly fatal disease into one that is eminently more treatable.

Citation Format: Mohini Singh, Chitra Venugopal, Tomas Tokar, Nicole McFarlane, Minomi Subhapanditha, David Bakhshinyan, Maleeha Qazi, Parvez Vora, Neil Savage, Naresh K. Murty, Igor Jurisica, Sheila K. Singh. Characterization and targeting of a temporal micro-metastatic signature in human brain metastases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 44.

Abstract 1911: Uncovering novel targets of recurrent glioblastoma using transcriptomic profiling in a patient-derived xenograft model

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive adult primary brain tumor feared for its near uniformly fatal prognosis despite advances in multimodal therapy including surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation. Poor patient survival due to tumor relapse is thought to be linked to intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH), driven by various environmental cues including chemotherapy and radiation treatment. ITH can be explained at the cellular level by the existence of multiple populations of cancer cells, including cancer stem cells (CSCs), which have acquired stemness properties like self-renewal, proliferation, and multilineage differentiation. In brain tumors, CSCs or brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs), have been shown to be resistant to both chemotherapy and radiation treatment, allowing them to escape therapy and allowing for tumor recurrence. To profile ITH as it evolves through therapy delivery, we have developed a novel and dynamic BTIC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model of treatment-refractory human GBM, allowing for multimodal profiling of GBM BTICs through tumor engraftment, remission, and recurrence. In this study, we present the transcriptomic profiling at each stage, and novel target selection and validation through CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts, well-established in vitro stem cell assays, and in vivo characterization of their tumor initiation, development, and maintenance properties. Despite the fact that the BTIC population is responsible for GBM recurrence and thus patient demise, it remains a largely unknown landscape. Consequently, therapies that focus on targeting the BTIC compartment within the bulk tumor would provide better treatment and prognosis for patients with brain tumors. The study we present provides a unique therapeutic window into the recurrence of GBM, which drives patient mortality, yet is profiled far less than primary treatment-naïve GBM.

Citation Format: Nicolas Yelle, Chirayu Chokshi, Parvez Vora, Kevin R. Brown, Maleeha A. Qazi, Mohini Singh, Jarrett J. Adams, Chitra Venugopal, Sachdev Sidhu, Jason Moffat, Sheila K. Singh. Uncovering novel targets of recurrent glioblastoma using transcriptomic profiling in a patient-derived xenograft model [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1911.

Cotargeting Ephrin Receptor Tyrosine Kinases A2 and A3 in Cancer Stem Cells Reduces Growth of Recurrent Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) carries a dismal prognosis and inevitably relapses despite aggressive therapy. Many members of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase (EphR) family are expressed by GBM stem cells (GSC), which have been implicated in resistance to GBM therapy. In this study, we identify several EphRs that mark a therapeutically targetable GSC population in treatment-refractory, recurrent GBM (rGBM). Using a highly specific EphR antibody panel and CyTOF (cytometry by time-of-flight), we characterized the expression of all 14 EphR in primary and recurrent patient-derived GSCs to identify putative rGBM-specific EphR. EPHA2 and EPHA3 coexpression marked a highly tumorigenic cell population in rGBM that was enriched in GSC marker expression. Knockdown of EPHA2 and EPHA3 together led to increased expression of differentiation marker GFAP and blocked clonogenic and tumorigenic potential, promoting significantly higher survival in vivo Treatment of rGBM with a bispecific antibody against EPHA2/A3 reduced clonogenicity in vitro and tumorigenic potential of xenografted recurrent GBM in vivo via downregulation of AKT and ERK and increased cellular differentiation. In conclusion, we show that EPHA2 and EPHA3 together mark a GSC population in rGBM and that strategic cotargeting of EPHA2 and EPHA3 presents a novel and rational therapeutic approach for rGBM.Significance: Treatment of rGBM with a novel bispecific antibody against EPHA2 and EPHA3 reduces tumor burden, paving the way for the development of therapeutic approaches against biologically relevant targets in rGBM. Cancer Res; 78(17); 5023-37. ©2018 AACR.

Enhanced upconversion emission of Er3+/Yb3+ and Er3+/Yb3+/Zn2+ doped calcium aluminate for use in optical thermometry and laser induced optical heating

There are two key factors to design an efficient green upconversion (UC) emission based optical sensor for temperature. The primary need is to develop a thermally stable and economical material, for a stable sensor, and the second essence is to get an efficient green UC emission, for high sensitivity of the sensor. The proof of this concept is demonstrated on a model system CaAl₂O₄: Er³⁺, co-doped with Yb³⁺ and Zn²⁺. UC emission of Er³⁺ ion is enhanced, primarily, through co-operative energy transfer from Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ ions. Secondly, we prove that, incorporation of Zn²⁺ ions alters local crystal field environment around Er³⁺ ions which causes an enhancement in green UC emission. The variation in intensity ratio of ²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2 (green) and ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 (green) transitions with temperature is studied to report the sensing property. We show that, sensitivity becomes better with an increase in UC efficiency and the best sensitivity is attained for CaAl_(0.793)2Er_0.007Yb_0.05Zn_0.15O₄ sample, ∼0.0154 K^-1 at 308 K. The obtained result is compared with other works and implies its better suitability. Further, the laser induced optical heating is also observed. The laser induced optical heating has been observed experimentally at 400 K above 1 W laser power. This has been further verified by theoretical justification of heating at various pump powers.

Characterization of a novel seed protein of Prosopis cineraria showing antifungal activity

An antifungal protein with a molecular mass of 38.6 kDa was isolated from the seed of Prosopis cineraria. The protein was purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The antifungal activity of purified protein was retained up to 50 °C for 10 min. The MALDI TOF mass spectroscopy revealed 15 assorted peptides. The molecular weight of the antifungal protein is different from antifungal proteins reported in seeds of other leguminous plants. The purified protein exerted antifungal activity against post-harvest fruit fungal pathogens Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Aspergillus fumigatus, isolated from the rotten fruits. The antifungal properties of this novel antifungal protein can be potentially exploited to manage post-harvest fungal disease of fruits through alternative means to reduce use of hazardous chemicals.

Potential effect of household environment on prevalence of tuberculosis in India: evidence from the recent round of a cross-sectional survey

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) has been a major health problem globally since ages, and even today, it is a major cause of morbidity in millions of people each year. In 2015 alone, TB accounted for about 1.4 million deaths globally, with India carrying the biggest burden of the disease. The physical environment of the household, an individual living in, has a significant influence on the incidence of TB. Thus, an understanding of the socio-economic, demographic and environmental factors that individuals are exposed to is of importance. The objective of present study is to examine the association of household environment with the prevalence of Tuberculosis in India.

Methods

The study utilizes data from the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16, which was collected from self-reported information pertaining to Tuberculosis in the household questionnaire. The specific question was, “Does any usual resident of your household suffer from tuberculosis?” the response to which helped in the detection of Tuberculosis. Binary Logistic regression was performed from which appropriate inferences are drawn on the association of household environment with Tuberculosis.

Results

Prevalence of TB was found to be the highest among elderly people (0.9%), no education (0.4%) and people belonging to the poorest wealth quintile (0.53%). Family members who were regularly (daily) exposed to smoke (second-hand smoke) inside the house were more prone to getting tuberculosis (OR = 1.49; CI = 1.39-1.61) as compared with households where people do not smoke inside the house. Further, households having a finished wall (OR = 0.7; CI = 0.6-0.8) are less likely to get TB than the households with mud walls. Households that shared their toilets with other households are more likely to get hold of Tuberculosis (OR = 1.2; CI = 1.1-1.4).

Conclusions

Results strongly suggest that a contaminated household environment increases the risk of tuberculosis in India. There are multiple risk factors that are strongly associated with Tuberculosis: smoke inside house, type of cooking fuel, separate kitchen, floor, roofing and wall material, number of persons sleeping in a room, sharing toilet and potable water with other households; and individual characteristics such as age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, place of residence and wealth index.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-018-0627-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transforming the prostatic tumor microenvironment with oncolytic virotherapy

Prostate cancer (PCa) was estimated to have the second highest global incidence rate for male non-skin tumors and is the fifth most deadly in men thus mandating the need for novel treatment options. MG1-Maraba is a potent and versatile oncolytic virus capable of lethally infecting a variety of prostatic tumor cell lines alongside primary PCa biopsies and exerts direct oncolytic effects against large TRAMP-C2 tumors in vivo. An oncolytic immunotherapeutic strategy utilizing a priming vaccine and intravenously administered MG1-Maraba both expressing the human six-transmembrane antigen of the prostate (STEAP) protein generated specific CD8+ T-cell responses against multiple STEAP epitopes and resulted in functional breach of tolerance. Treatment of mice with bulky TRAMP-C2 tumors using oncolytic STEAP immunotherapy induced an overt delay in tumor progression, marked intratumoral lymphocytic infiltration with an active transcriptional profile and up-regulation of MHC class I. The preclinical data generated here offers clear rationale for clinically evaluating this approach for men with advanced PCa.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ALGORITHM TO ESTIMATE EYE LENS DOSE IN TERMS OF OPERATIONAL QUANTITY Hp(3) USING HEAD TLD BADGE

In view of the recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection for reduction of the occupational annual dose limit for eye lens from 150 mSv to 20 mSv/y, questions have been raised on the adequacy of monitoring for the quantities Hp(10) and Hp(0.07). As an immediate requirement, in the present situation, where there is no exclusive eye lens dosemeter in India, the existing chest TLD badge was modified to be used as head badge (head dosemeter) by including a strap to enable wearing on the forehead. In order to estimate the eye lens dose in terms of the operational quantity Hp(3), the prevalent algorithm of chest badge was also modified. The modified algorithm was applied to estimate Hp(3) for dosemeters irradiated to various beta and photon radiations including mixtures. The Q values (estimated/delivered dose equivalent) were found to be within ±20% for most of the photon beams.

Abstract P4-03-03: Not presented

This abstract was not presented at the symposium.