Deciphering cellular and molecular mechanism of MUC13 mucin involved in cancer cell plasticity and drug resistance

There has been a surge of interest in recent years in understanding the intricate mechanisms underlying cancer progression and treatment resistance. One molecule that has recently emerged in these mechanisms is MUC13 mucin, a transmembrane glycoprotein. Researchers have begun to unravel the molecular complexity of MUC13 and its impact on cancer biology. Studies have shown that MUC13 overexpression can disrupt normal cellular polarity, leading to the acquisition of malignant traits. Furthermore, MUC13 has been associated with increased cancer plasticity, allowing cells to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasize. Notably, MUC13 has also been implicated in the development of chemoresistance, rendering cancer cells less responsive to traditional treatment options. Understanding the precise role of MUC13 in cellular plasticity, and chemoresistance could pave the way for the development of targeted therapies to combat cancer progression and enhance treatment efficacy.

Recurring SARS-CoV-2 variants: an update on post-pandemic, co-infections and immune response

The post-pandemic era following the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought about persistent concerns regarding recurring coinfections. While significant strides in genome mapping, diagnostics, and vaccine development have controlled the pandemic and reduced fatalities, ongoing virus mutations necessitate a deeper exploration of the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 mutations and the host's immune response. Various vaccines, including RNA-based ones like Pfizer and Moderna, viral vector vaccines like Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, and protein subunit vaccines like Novavax, have played critical roles in mitigating the impact of COVID-19. Understanding their strengths and limitations is crucial for tailoring future vaccines to specific variants and individual needs. The intricate relationship between SARS-CoV-2 mutations and the immune response remains a focus of intense research, providing insights into personalized treatment strategies and long-term effects like long-COVID. This article offers an overview of the post-pandemic landscape, highlighting emerging variants, summarizing vaccine platforms, and delving into immunological responses and the phenomenon of long-COVID. By presenting clinical findings, it aims to contribute to the ongoing understanding of COVID-19's progression in the aftermath of the pandemic.

A Systems Biology Approach Unveils a Critical Role of DPP4 in Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Patient Outcomes

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers comprise of cancers that affect the digestive system and its accessory organs. The late detection and poor prognosis of GI cancer emphasizes the importance of identifying reliable and precise biomarkers for early diagnosis and prediction of prognosis. The membrane-bound glycoprotein dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4), also known as CD26, is ubiquitously expressed and has a wide spectrum of biological roles. The role of DPP4/CD26 in tumor progression in different types of cancers remains elusive. However, the link between DPP4 and tumor-infiltrating cells, as well as its prognostic significance in malignancies, still require further investigation. This study was intended to elucidate the correlation of DPP4 expression and survival along with prognosis, followed by its associated enriched molecular pathways and immune cell marker levels in upper GI cancers. Results demonstrated a strong correlation between increased DPP4 expression and a worse prognosis in esophageal and gastric cancer and the co-expressed common genes with DPP4 were associated with crucial molecular pathways involved in tumorigenesis. Additionally, DPP4 was shown to be significantly linked to several immune infiltrating cell marker genes, including Macrophages (M1, M2 and Tumor Associated Macrophages), neutrophils, Treg, T-cell exhaustion, Th1 and Th2. Overall, our findings suggest that DPP4 may serve as a substantial prognostic biomarker, a possible therapeutic target, as well as it can play a critical role in the regulation of immune cell invasion in patients with gastroesophageal (esophageal, gastroesophageal junction and gastric) cancer. KEY WORDS: DPP4, integrated analysis, GI cancer, gastroesophageal cancer, gastroesophageal junction, prognosis.

CEACAM7 expression contributes to early events of pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

The trends of pancreatic cancer (PanCa) incidence and mortality are on rising pattern, and it will be a second leading cause of cancer related deaths by 2030. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), major form of PanCa, exhibits a grim prognosis as mortality rate is very close to the incidence rate, due to lack of early detection methods and effective therapeutic regimen. Considering this alarming unmet clinic need, our team has identified a novel oncogenic protein, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 7 (CEACAM7), that can be useful for spotting early events of PDAC.

METHODOLOGY

This study includes bioinformatics pre-screening using publicly available cancer databases followed by molecular biology techniques in PDAC progressive cell line panel and human tissues to evaluate CEACAM7 expression in early events of pancreatic cancer.

RESULTS

PanCa gene and protein expression analysis demonstrated the significantly higher expression of CEACAM7 in PDAC, compared to other cancers and normal pancreas. Overall survival analysis demonstrated an association between the higher expression of CEACAM7 and poor patients' prognosis with high hazard ratio. Additionally, in a performance comparison analysis CEACAM7 outperformed S100A4 in relation to PDAC. We also observed an increase of CEACAM7 in PDAC cell line panel model. However, poorly differentiated, and normal cell lines did not show any expression. Human tissue analysis also strengthened our data by showing strong and positive IHC staining in early-stage tumors.

CONCLUSION

Our observations clearly cite that CEACAM7 can serve as a potential early diagnostic and/or prognostic marker of PDAC and may also potentiate the sensitivity of the existing biomarker panel of PDAC. However, further studies are warranted to determine its clinical significance.

MUC13 drives cancer aggressiveness and metastasis through the YAP1-dependent pathway

Anchorage-independent survival after intravasation of cancer cells from the primary tumor site represents a critical step in metastasis. Here, we reveal new insights into how MUC13-mediated anoikis resistance, coupled with survival of colorectal tumor cells, leads to distant metastasis. We found that MUC13 targets a potent transcriptional coactivator, YAP1, and drives its nuclear translocation via forming a novel survival complex, which in turn augments the levels of pro-survival and metastasis-associated genes. High expression of MUC13 is correlated well with extensive macrometastasis of colon cancer cells with elevated nuclear YAP1 in physiologically relevant whole animal model systems. Interestingly, a positive correlation of MUC13 and YAP1 expression was observed in human colorectal cancer tissues. In brief, the results presented here broaden the significance of MCU13 in cancer metastasis via targeting YAP1 for the first time and provide new avenues for developing novel strategies for targeting cancer metastasis.

Synthesis and Antitumor Activity of Brominated-Ormeloxifene (Br-ORM) against Cervical Cancer

Aberrant regulation of β-catenin signaling is strongly linked with cancer proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis, thus, small molecules that can inhibit this pathway might have great clinical significance. Our molecular modeling studies suggest that ormeloxifene (ORM), a triphenylethylene molecule that docks with β-catenin, and its brominated analogue (Br-ORM) bind more effectively with relatively less energy (-7.6 kcal/mol) to the active site of β-catenin as compared to parent ORM. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a Br-ORM by NMR and FTIR, as well as its anticancer activity in cervical cancer models. Br-ORM treatment effectively inhibited tumorigenic features (cell proliferation and colony-forming ability, etc.) and induced apoptotic death, as evident by pronounced PARP cleavage. Furthermore, Br-ORM treatment caused cell cycle arrest at the G1-S phase. Mechanistic investigation revealed that Br-ORM targets the key proteins involved in promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), as demonstrated by upregulation of E-cadherin and repression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression. Br-ORM also represses the expression and nuclear subcellular localization of β-catenin. Consequently, Br-ORM treatment effectively inhibited tumor growth in an orthotopic cervical cancer xenograft mouse model along with EMT associated changes as compared to vehicle control-treated mice. Altogether, experimental findings suggest that Br-ORM is a novel, promising β-catenin inhibitor and therefore can be harnessed as a potent anticancer small molecule for cervical cancer treatment.

Biomolecule-functionalized nanoformulations for prostate cancer theranostics

BACKGROUND

Even with the advancement in the areas of cancer nanotechnology, prostate cancer still poses a major threat to men's health. Nanomaterials and nanomaterial-derived theranostic systems have been explored for diagnosis, imaging, and therapy for different types of cancer still, for prostate cancer they have not delivered at full potential because of the limitations like in vivo biocompatibility, immune responses, precise targetability, and therapeutic outcome associated with the nanostructured system.

AIM OF REVIEW

Functionalizing nanomaterials with different biomolecules and bioactive agents provides advantages like specificity towards cancerous tumors, improved circulation time, and modulation of the immune response leading to early diagnosis and targeted delivery of cargo at the site of action.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW

In this review, we have emphasized the classification and comparison of various nanomaterials based on biofunctionalization strategy and source of biomolecules such that it can be used for possible translation in clinical settings and future developments. This review highlighted the opportunities for embedding highly specific biological targeting moieties (antibody, aptamer, oligonucleotides, biopolymer, peptides, etc.) on nanoparticles which can improve the detection of prostate cancer-associated biomarkers at a very low limit of detection, direct visualization of prostate tumors and lastly for its therapy. Lastly, special emphasis was given to biomimetic nanomaterials which include functionalization with extracellular vesicles, exosomes and viral particles and their application for prostate cancer early detection and drug delivery. The present review paves a new pathway for next-generation biofunctionalized nanomaterials for prostate cancer theranostic application and their possibility in clinical translation.

Integrative big transcriptomics data analysis implicates crucial role of MUC13 in pancreatic cancer

Big data analysis holds a considerable influence on several aspects of biomedical health science. It permits healthcare providers to gain insights from large and complex datasets, leading to improvements in the understanding, diagnosis, medication, and restraint of pathological conditions including cancer. The incidences of pancreatic cancer (PanCa) are sharply rising, and it will become the second leading cause of cancer related deaths by 2030. Various traditional biomarkers are currently in use but are not optimal in sensitivity and specificity. Herein, we determine the role of a new transmembrane glycoprotein, MUC13, as a potential biomarker of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by using integrative big data mining and transcriptomic approaches. This study is helpful to identify and appropriately segment the data related to MUC13, which are scattered in various data sets. The assembling of the meaningful data, representation strategy was used to investigate the MUC13 associated information for the better understanding regarding its structural, expression profiling, genomic variants, phosphorylation motifs, and functional enrichment pathways. For further in-depth investigation, we have adopted several popular transcriptomic methods like DEGseq2, coding and non-coding transcript, single cell seq analysis, and functional enrichment analysis. All these analyzes suggest the presence of three nonsense MUC13 genomic transcripts, two protein transcripts, short MUC13 (s-MUC13, non-tumorigenic or ntMUC13), and long MUC13 (L-MUC13, tumorigenic or tMUC13), several important phosphorylation sites in tMUC13. Altogether, this data confirms that importance of tMUC13 as a potential biomarker, therapeutic target of PanCa, and its significance in pancreatic pathobiology.

Glutathione-Responsive Tannic Acid-Assisted FRET Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy

In cancer combination therapy, a multimodal delivery vector is used to improve the bioavailability of multiple anti-cancer hydrophobic drugs. Further, targeted delivery of therapeutics along with simultaneous monitoring of the drug release at the tumor site without normal organ toxicity is an emerging and effective strategy for cancer treatment. However, the lack of a smart nano-delivery system limits the application of this therapeutic strategy. To overcome this issue, a PEGylated dual drug, conjugated amphiphilic polymer (CPT-S-S-PEG-CUR), has been successfully synthesized by conjugating two hydrophobic fluorescent anti-cancer drugs, curcumin (CUR) and camptothecin (CPT), through an ester and a redox-sensitive disulfide (-S-S-) linkage, respectively, with a PEG chain via in situ two-step reactions. CPT-S-S-PEG-CUR is spontaneously self-assembled in the presence of tannic acid (TA, a physical crosslinker) into anionic, comparatively smaller-sized (~100 nm), stable nano-assemblies in water in comparison to only polymer due to stronger H-bond formation between polymer and TA. Further, due to the spectral overlap between CPT and CUR and a stable, smaller nano-assembly formation by the pro-drug polymer in water in presence of TA, a successful Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) signal was generated between the conjugated CPT (FRET donor) and conjugated CUR (FRET acceptor). Interestingly, these stable nano-assemblies showed a preferential breakdown and release of CPT in a tumor-relevant redox environment (in the presence of 50 mM glutathione), leading to the disappearance of the FRET signal. These nano-assemblies exhibited a successful cellular uptake by the cancer cells and an enhanced antiproliferative effect in comparison to the individual drugs in cancer cells (AsPC1 and SW480). Such promising in vitro results with a novel redox-responsive, dual-drug conjugated, FRET pair-based nanosized multimodal delivery vector can be highly useful as an advanced theranostic system towards effective cancer treatment.

Indocyanine Green-based Glow Nanoparticles Probe for Cancer Imaging

Indocyanine green (ICG) is one of the FDA-approved near infra-red fluorescent (NIRF) probes for cancer imaging and image-guided surgery in the clinical setting. However, the limitations of ICG include poor photostability, high concentration toxicity, short circulation time, and poor cancer cell specificity. To overcome these hurdles, we engineered a nanoconstruct composed of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)-indocyanine green that is cloaked self-assembled with tannic acid (termed as indocyanine green-based glow nanoparticles probe, ICG-Glow NPs) for the cancer cell/tissue-specific targeting. The self-assembled ICG-Glow NPs were confirmed by spherical nanoparticles formation (DLS and TEM) and spectral analyses. The NIRF imaging characteristic of ICG-Glow NPs was established by superior fluorescence counts on filter paper and chicken tissue. The ICG-Glow NPs exhibited excellent hemo and cellular compatibility with human red blood cells, kidney normal, pancreatic normal, and other cancer cell lines. An enhanced cancer-specific NIRF binding and imaging capability of ICG-Glow NPs was confirmed using different human cancer cell lines and human tumor tissues. Additionally, tumor-specific binding/accumulation of ICG-Glow NPs was confirmed in MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model. Collectively, these findings suggest that ICG-Glow NPs have great potential as a novel and safe NIRF imaging probe for cancer cell/tumor imaging. This can lead to a quicker cancer diagnosis facilitating precise disease detection and management.

Abstract 826: Illuminating cancer cells with a novel nano fluorescent NIR probe for bioimaging

Background: Adequate bioimaging is crucial in cancer management in many ways including screening, detection, characterization, staging and grading, therapy response, surgical guidance, and margins assessment. Indocyanine green (ICG) is one of the FDA-approved near infra-red fluorescent (NIRF) probe for cancer imaging and image-guided surgery in clinical setting. However, limitations of ICG includes poor photostability, high concentration toxicity, short circulation time, and poor cancer cell specificity. To overcome these hurdles, we engineered a nanoconstruct composed of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP)-indocyanine green that is cloaked self-assembled with tannic acid (termed as ICG-Glow NPs) for the cancer cells/tissues specific targeting.

Methods: Pursuing the novel nanotherapy approach, our lab has developed PVP-TA based ICG (PVT-ICG) fluorescent nanoparticles via self-assembly process. Our optimized PVT-ICG nanoformulation was further characterized for its physicochemical properties. An IVIS imaging system was further used to measure NIR fluorescence of novel PVT-ICG. Moreover, Human cancer (Breast, Pancreatic, Liver and Prostate) tissue microarrays (TMAs) were histochemically stained to assess cancer cell targeting/specificity of PVT-ICG.

Results: PVT-ICG indicated particle size and surface charge ideal for cancer cell/tissue delivery. PVT-ICG, further, demonstrated improved photostability and fluorescent intensity. Additionally, TMA studies exhibited enhanced internalization and cancer targeting/specificity of PVT-ICG nanoparticles compared to free ICG dye in all cancers.

Conclusion: Collectively, our findings suggest that this NIR fluorescent probe PVT-ICG has great potential for becoming a novel and safe imaging modality for various types of cancer cells and tumors which can result in early cancer diagnosis leading to improved disease management.

Citation Format: Neeraj Chauhan, Marco Cabrera, Pallabita Chowdhury, Prashanth K. Nagesh, Anupam Dhasmana, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu. Illuminating cancer cells with a novel nano fluorescent NIR probe for bioimaging [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 826.

Abstract 399: Molecular mechanism of ormeloxifene mediated chemo-sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal cancer with a dismal 5-year survival rate as the standard therapy available Sorafenib (SRB), is only effective in extending survival for a subset of patients. Resistance to apoptosis is a defining characteristic of cancer cells and a crucial factor in cancer recurrence and relapse. Although, anticancer potential of the FDA-approved compound Ormeloxifene (ORM), which has well-defined pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, has been explored in a variety of cancers, its efficacy in HCC has remained unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role and molecular mechanisms underlying ORM in SRB-induced apoptosis in HCC.

Methods: In this study, we investigated the efficacy of ORM in hepatocellular carcinoma cell (HepG2, Hep3B, C3a, and SKHep-1) lines alone, and in combination with SRB. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT and xCELLigence assay. Effect of ORM on clonogenic potential of HCC cells was examined by colony formation assay. Effect of ORM on apoptosis induction was performed by Annexin V assays. The cell migration assay was performed using Boyden chamber and cell invasion assay was done by Matrigel invasion chambers. Following treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, Western blotting, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and immunofluorescence studies were carried out in order to investigate the effects of ORM, SRB alone, and/or combination on pro-apoptotic, anti-apoptotic, EMT, and associated signaling effector proteins.

Results: By employing MTT and xCELLigence assays, our study showed that ORM induces dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in hepatocellular cancer (HepG2, Hep3B, C3a, and SKHep-1) cells at various concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 15 µM). The combination of ORM and SRB together had a significant synergistic inhibitory effect on HCC cells. Additionally, compared to ORM and SRB treatment alone, Annexin V staining showed that combined treatment of ORM and SRB significantly enhance the apoptosis induction in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Mechanistically, the expression of anti-apoptotic markers like Mcl-1, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl is significantly reduced when ORM and SRB are combined as evidenced by Western blotting. Similarly, the inhibition of colony formation, invasion, and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells following co-treatment was significantly higher as compared to either treatment alone. In addition, the expression of EMT markers like N-cadherin, snail, vimentin, and MMPs in HCC cells is down-regulated following combined treatment compared to ORM and SRB alone.

Conclusion: Taken together, ORM displayed an effective chemo-therapeutic and chemo-sensitizing agents in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Citation Format: Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Anyssa Rodriguez, Daniel Zubieta, Sheema Khan, Fathi T. Halaweish, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi. Molecular mechanism of ormeloxifene mediated chemo-sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 399.

Abstract 823: Piperlongumine nanoformulation enhances gemcitabine therapeutic response in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is characterized by lack of early diagnosis, poor response to available therapeutic modalities and chemoresistance. Gemcitabine (GEM) is currently considered most effective therapy for PanCa; however, it shows only a marginal survival benefit of 6 months. This poor drug response has been attributed to desmoplasia, causes suboptimal drug delivery, alters tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes tumor surrounding blood vessels, fibroblasts, immune cells, extracellular matrix, and other signaling molecules and induces chemo-resistance in tumors. To overcome these existing issues associated with chemotherapy, identification and development of novel therapeutic modalities are a pressing need. Piperlongumine (PL) is a natural alkaloid isolated from the long pepper, Piper longum L., and has shown substantial cancer-preventive and therapeutic efficacy against a variety of cancers. However, delivering its effective concentration in pancreatic tumors has been challenging. We have recently engineered a multi-layered Pluronic F127 and polyvinyl alcohol stabilized and poly-L-lysine coated piperlongumine loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticle formulation (PLGA-PL), which effectively inhibits the growth of PanCa cells. In this study, we demonstrate that PLGA-PL effectively sensitize tumor cells to GEM via decreased desmoplasia, altered TME, SHH/CXCL12/CXCR4 and immune surveillance. Our finding show that PLGA-PL synergizes with GEM in inhibiting PanCa cell (HPAF-II and Panc-1) growth, migration, and invasion compared to free PL. Mechanistically, PLGA-PL targets the TME via inhibition of sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway and oncogenic CXCR4/CXCL12 signaling axis that inhibits bidirectional tumor-stromal cells interaction. We have also found that PLGA-PL alone and in combination with GEM targets cancer stem cells by inhibiting pluripotency maintaining stemness factors (Nanog, Sox2, c-Myc, CD133, and Oct-4) as determined by qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence analysis, and further confirmed by restricting tumor sphere formation. Furthermore, PLGA-PL also effectively targets tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) by repolarizing M2 into M1 phenotype via inhibiting expression of M2 markers and an increase in M1 markers in mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7. M2 polarization of RAW264.7 cells were induced by culture with IL-4 (20 ng/mL) in presence of PLGA-PL or vehicle control. In additions, PLGA-PL effectively increases phagocytic capacity in murine macrophages as determined by phagocytosis assay (Vybrant Phagocytosis Assay Kit). In conclusion, we observed that PLGA-PL effectively targets TME, facilitates GEM uptake by inhibiting the activation of CXCR4/CXCL12/SHH signaling, and reprograming the tumor immune surveillance. This study suggests that PLGA-PL has great potential for future clinical use in management of PanCa.

Citation Format: Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Neeraj Chauhan, Mohammed Sikander, FNU Pranav, Rahul Tiwari, Bilal B. Hafeez, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan. Piperlongumine nanoformulation enhances gemcitabine therapeutic response in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 823.

Abstract 4314: CEACAM7 an early detection biomarker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Background: As per key statistics of American Cancer Society 2021, Pancreatic Cancer (PanCa) affects around 60,430 persons (31,950 men and 28,480 women) a year in the U.S. and is tricky to diagnose and treat. PanCa is the 4th leading cause of cancer death with a 5-year survival rate of only 9%, along with a poor prognosis. Generally (around 85-90%) PanCa are adenocarcinomas, such as Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC). PDAC is now one of the most challenging tumor entities worldwide, characterized as a highly aggressive disease with dismal overall prognosis with a mortality rate near the incidence rate. For PDAC, no early tumor specific biomarker is available, therefore, novel early detection biomarker strategy is immediately required to upgrade the narrow diagnostic portfolio against PanCa. Considering this alarming situation, our team has identified a novel oncogenic protein, Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 7 (CEACAM7). Our studies suggested high CEACAM7 expression in PDAC tumors and its association with patient survival. In this study we have investigated the potential role of CECAM7 for early PDAC diagnosis and its role in PDAC progression.

Methodology: This study includes bioinformatics pre-screening using publicly available cancer databases followed by molecular biology techniques. To detect the degree of expression of CEACAM7 in normal pancreatic cell (HPNE) and PDAC progressive cellular models, we have minutely scrutinized the PDAC cell panel (HPAF-2, SU86.86 & Panc-1) & TMAs of PDAC patients, in terms of mRNA & protein expression level of CEACAM7. The confocal microscopy was performed to identify the intensity and localization of CEACAM7 protein. IHC analysis was also performed to identify the protein expressions in the pancreatitis and tumor cores along with their locations, grading and Mean Composite Score.

Results: Bioinformatic results confirmed the relevance of CEACAM7 as a potential early diagnostic and prognostic marker of PDAC. HPAF2 (well differentiated) expressed highest mRNA and protein expression analyses, followed by SU86.86 (moderately differentiated) and very low expression in AsPc1 (poorly differentiated), and Panc1 (poorly differentiated). The IHC analyses of TMAs exhibited negligible or faint staining in pancreatitis (chronic and acute) and most of the positive cases were in tumor grading 1 & 2.

Conclusion: Our observations clearly cite that CEACAM7 can serve as a potential early diagnostic and/or prognostic marker of PDAC and may also potentiate the sensitivity of the existing biomarker panel of PDAC. However, further studies are warranted to determine its clinical significance.

Keywords: Pancreatic cancer, PDAC, CEACAM7, Early detection biomarker, Tumor grading

Citation Format: Anupam Dhasmana, Swati Dhasmana, Sheema Khan, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan. CEACAM7 an early detection biomarker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4314.

Abstract 1291: Signaling pathways modulated by lncRNA UCA1 during anchorage-independent growth in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest cancer, and over 40-50% of patients develop metastasis during their fight against the disease. CRC survival rate drops from 90% to 14% when the condition is contained within the colon vs. when found at distant sites within the body. Metastasis is a multistep process and one of the critical steps for cancer cells to acquire anoikis resistance to survive after detachment from the primary sites and travel through the circulatory and lymphatic systems to distant target organs. Thus, understanding the molecular players involved in the anoikis process and metastasis could be vital for improving the survival of CRC patients. The aberrant expression of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) has been identified in CRC. However, its role in metastasis processes is not yet well defined. Our preliminary results in the anchorage-independent growth (anoikis model) demonstrate increased expression of lncRNA UCA1. Moreover, the overexpression of lncRNA UCA1 led to high expression of stemness markers SOX2 and Kaiso, along with increased survival of anchorage-independent cells, which indicates a potential mechanistic role of UCA1 in anoikis resistance. Thus, in this study, we propose elucidating the role(s) of UCA1 and its associated signaling pathways during anoikis resistance. We hypothesize that the overexpression of lncRNA UCA1 enhances CRC metastasis through anoikis resistance-associated signaling pathways. We will utilize Isogenic CRC cell lines SW480 (oncogenic) and SW620 (metastatic) to understand the mechanistic regulation of anoikis resistance. Lentiviral transduced stable overexpression (SW480+UCA1//GFP) and knockdown (SW620+CRISPRgUCA1) cell lines have been utilized for this study. After subjecting these cell lines (along with control) to anchorage-independent growth conditions, cell cycle, pro-survival, anti-apoptotic, stemness, and glucose metabolism factors will be analyzed through RT-PCR, Digital Droplet PCR (ddPCR), western blot, and FACS analyses. Utilizing the same model, we will examine lncRNA UCA1 linked anoikis resistance specific phosphorylation profiles of kinases, their protein substrates using the Proteome Profiler Phospho-Human Phospho-Kinase Array.

Citation Format: Sophia Leslie, Kyle D. Doxtater, Samantha Lopez, Kristopher Ezell, Adithya Anilkumar, Amayrani Sanchez, Bilal Hafeez, Tamer Oraby, Meena Jaggi, Timothy Loy, Subhash Chauhan, Manish K. Tripathi. Signaling pathways modulated by lncRNA UCA1 during anchorage-independent growth in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 1291.

Boosting Mitochondrial Potential: An Imperative Therapeutic Intervention in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and terminal neurodegenerative disorder. Mitochondrial dysfunction, imbalance of cellular bioenergetics, electron chain transportation and calcium homeostasis are deeply associated with the progression of this disease. Impaired mitochondrial functions are crucial in rapid neurodegeneration. The mitochondria of ALS patients are associated with deregulated Ca2+ homeostasis and elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress. Overload of mitochondrial calcium and ROS production leads to glutamatereceptor mediated neurotoxicity. This implies mitochondria are an attractive therapeutic target.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to brief the latest developments in the understanding of mitochondrial pathogenesis in ALS and emphasize the restorative capacity of therapeutic candidates.

RESULTS

In ALS, mitochondrial dysfunction is a well-known phenomenon. Various therapies targeted towards mitochondrial dysfunction aim at decreasing ROS generation, increasing mitochondrial biogenesis, and inhibiting apoptotic pathways. Some of the therapies briefed in this review may be categorized as synthetic, natural compounds, genetic materials, and cellular therapies.

CONCLUSION

The overarching goals of mitochondrial therapies in ALS are to benefit ALS patients by slowing down the disease progression and prolonging overall survival. Despite various therapeutic approaches, there are many hurdles in the development of a successful therapy due to the multifaceted nature of mitochondrial dysfunction and ALS progression. Intensive research is required to precisely elucidate the molecular pathways involved in the progression of mitochondrial dysfunctions that ultimately lead to ALS. Because of the multifactorial nature of ALS, a combination therapy approach may hold the key to cure and treat ALS in the future.

Current status of biopsy markers for the breast in clinical settings

INTRODUCTION

A breast biopsy marker is a very small object that is introduced into the breast to serve as a tissue marker. The placement of a breast marker following a biopsy or to mark an abnormality in the breast has become standard practice in the clinical setting. Breast biopsy markers offer a wide range of benefits which includes the prevention of re-biopsy of a benign tumor, differentiating multiple lesions within the breast, evaluation of the extent of a tumor, and increased precision during surgery.

AREAS COVERED

This review article presents a range of breast biopsy markers used in clinical practice. First, an overview of the necessity of breast markers in healthy breast management. Second, it summarizes the diversity in composition, shape, unique properties and features, and bio-absorbable carriers of breast biopsy markers. Finally, it also discusses the possible use of clinically approved breast biopsy markers in various scenarios and their implications.

EXPERT OPINION

This review serves as a guide in the selection of an appropriate breast marker. We believe that some of the common drawbacks associated with current breast biopsy markers can be overcome by developing novel polymer-metal and composite-based breast biopsy markers.

microRNA-205 in prostate cancer: Overview to clinical translation

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most common type of cancer among men in the United States. The metastatic and advanced PrCa develops drug resistance to current regimens which accounts for the poor management. microRNAs (miRNAs) have been well-documented for their diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic roles in various human cancers. Recent literature confirmed that microRNA-205 (miR-205) has been established as one of the tumor suppressors in PrCa. miR-205 regulates number of cellular functions, such as proliferation, invasion, migration/metastasis, and apoptosis. It is also evident that miR-205 can serve as a key biomarker in diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy of PrCa. Therefore, in this review, we will provide an overview of tumor suppressive role of miR-205 in PrCa. This work also outlines miR-205's specific role in targeted mechanisms for chemosensitization and radiosensitization in PrCa. A facile approach of delivery paths for successful clinical translation is documented. Together, all these studies provide a novel insight of miR-205 as an adjuvant agent for reducing the widening gaps in clinical outcome of PrCa patients.

Coating a Self-Assembly Nanoconstruct with a Neutrophil Cell Membrane Enables High Specificity for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Treatment

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in American women. Triple negative breast cancer is among the most advanced and aggressive forms of breast cancer. Treatment options are limited for such cancers, making chemotherapy a convenient and effective treatment. Although these therapies can reduce morbidity and mortality, it is often followed by systemic side effects or relapse. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been considered for drug delivery approaches due to their ability to target various disease sites. Herein, we aim to develop a biomimetic NP construct (cell membrane-cloaked NPs) that exhibits specific affinity with triple negative breast cancer cells. In this regard, we designed biomimetic supramolecular nanoconstructs composed of a poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-tannic acid (PVP-TA NPs/ PVT NPs) core and biofunctionalized with neutrophil cell membranes (PVT-NEU NPs). In this study, we have synthesized a PVT-NEU NP construct, characterized it, and evaluated it for improved targeting and therapeutic benefits in in vitro and in vivo models. Analysis of PVT-NEU NPs confirms the presence of the core of PVP-TA NPs coated with activated human neutrophil membranes. The study results confirmed that PVT-NEU NPs demonstrated an enhanced interaction and targeting with the tumor cells, thus improving the therapeutic activity of a model therapeutic agent (paclitaxel). Altogether, this study suggests the potential of biomimetic NPs as a promising therapeutic option for targeted drug delivery for advanced-stage breast cancer and other similar diseased conditions.

Tannic Acid Exhibits Antiangiogenesis Activity in Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, with a dismal prognosis. NSCLC is a highly vascularized tumor, and chemotherapy is often hampered by the development of angiogenesis. Therefore, suppression of angiogenesis is considered a potential treatment approach. Tannic acid (TA), a natural polyphenol, has been demonstrated to have anticancer properties in a variety of cancers; however, its angiogenic properties have yet to be studied. Hence, in the current study, we investigated the antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects of TA on NSCLC cells. The (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) (MTS) assay revealed that TA induced a dose- and time-dependent decrease in the proliferation of A549 and H1299 cells. However, TA had no significant toxicity effects on human bronchial epithelial cells. Clonogenicity assay revealed that TA suppressed colony formation ability in NSCLC cells in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-invasiveness and antimigratory potential of TA were confirmed by Matrigel and Boyden chamber studies, respectively. Importantly, TA also decreased the ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to form tube-like networks, demonstrating its antiangiogenic properties. Extracellular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release was reduced in TA-treated cells compared to that in control cells, as measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Overall, these results demonstrate that TA can induce antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects against NSCLC.

Abstract 1038: Novel therapy targeting mutant-KRASG12D and galectin-1 in pancreatic cancer

Introduction: In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), low patient survival rate remains a problem. The activating point mutation of KRAS on codon-12 is present in 70-95% of PDAC cases and so far, no success has been achieved to inhibit KRAS. KRASG12D regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis; recent preliminary and published studies show high Galectin-1 (Gal-1) levels in both PDAC and stromal cells, which modulate tumor microenvironment and metastasis. Therefore, we have developed a novel combination therapy for PDAC by targeting mutated KRASG12D and Gal-1 to target both proliferation and metastasis in PDAC. This includes the delivery of KRASG12D inhibiting siRNA (siKRASG12D) using a superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) and a galectin inhibitor.

Methods: Our patented SPION nano-formulation was used to deliver siKRASG12D and investigated in conjunction with Gal-1 inhibitor for its anticancer efficacy. Particles were investigated for size, physico-chemical characterization (Dynamic light scattering), hemocompatibility (hemolysis assay) and the complexation of siKRAS (gel retardation assay). Cellular internalization and uptake of the particles were investigated. Anti-cancer efficacy was determined using in vitro functional assays for cell viability (MTT), migration (Boyden chambers), invasion (Matrigel), clonogenicity, tumor spheroid formation, and in a mouse model.

Results: Our results demonstrate optimal particle size/zeta potential of SP-siKRAS formulation. SP-siKRAS efficiently internalized in PDAC cells and suppressed KRASG12D as well as its downstream targets, YAP and PDL-1. Combined targeting of siKRAS and Gal-1 inhibited cell proliferation. It inhibited cell proliferation, clonogenicity, migration, and invasion of PDAC cells. This resulted in activation of death related mechanisms, such as Bax, bcl-2, PARP cleavage in KRASG12D cells. Interestingly, the formulation was highly effective in inhibiting KRASG12D and growth of tumor spheroid in 3D cell models, which recapitulate the heterogeneity and pathophysiology of PDAC. This further provides a clinical validation demonstrating potential of SP-siKRAS particles to efficiently silence KRAS expression. SP-siKRAS also exhibited hemocompatibility and stability suggesting its potential of silencing KRAS without being toxic to the body. The formulation efficiently exhibited KRasG12D silencing and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice.

Conclusion: This gene therapy targeting KRAS G12D mutation with a Gal-1 inhibition has a potential to modulate the oncogenic network and tumor microenvironment resulting in the repression of growth, metastasis, chemoresistance, and improvement in patient survival. This study will develop a novel sustainable therapeutic approach to target PDAC growth and improve patient survivability.

Citation Format: Ana I. Martinez Bulnes, Poornima Shaji, Nirnoy Dan, Melida Cantu, Shabnam Malik, Stephen Behrman, Swathi Holla, Murali Mohan Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan. Novel therapy targeting mutant-KRASG12D and galectin-1 in pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1038.

Abstract 305: Novel nanoformulation of piperlongumine for pancreatic cancer therapy

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is expected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. The treatment of PanCa is highly challenging due to the extremely poor response to existing therapeutic options. Highly desmoplastic tumor microenvironment in pancreatic tumor causes suboptimal delivery of therapeutic agents in tumors that eventually resulted to chemo-resistance. Piperlongumine (PL) is a natural alkaloid isolated from the long pepper, Piper longum L., and has shown substantial cancer-preventive and therapeutic efficacy against variety of cancers. However, delivering its effective concentration in pancreatic tumors has been challenging. In this study, we have synthesized and characterized a novel nano-formulation of PL composed of a PLGA core (PLGA-PL), stabilized with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and coated with poly-L-lysine (PLL), and evaluated its therapeutic effects against PanCa.

Methods: The various physicochemical approaches (FT-IR, DSC, TEM, TGA, and HPLC) was used to characterize the PLGA-PL formulation for particle size, chemical composition, and drug loading efficiency. Cellular uptake of PLGA-PL was achieved in incubation with PLGA-PL in PanCa cells. Further, the therapeutic efficacy of PLGA-PL was determined by using various in vitro assays (MTS, wound healing, boyden chamber, cell cycle and apoptosis assays) using PanCa cells. The effects of PLGA-PL on various key oncogenic signaling pathways were evaluated by qRT-PCR, Western blot, confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses.

Results: Our novel PLGA-PL formulation has an average size of 110 nm in dynamic light scattering and a zeta potential range of -6.52 to -7.68 mV with excellent PL loading efficiency. Cellular uptake and internalization studies show that PLGA-PL escapes lysosomal degradation, allowing for effective endosomal release into the cytosol. PLGA-PL showed superior anti-cancer activity in various PanCa cells (BxPC-3, HPAF-II, AsPC-1, Panc-1, and MIA PaCa-2) compared to free PL. Moreover, PLGA-PL showed a remarkable inhibition of the migration and invasion potential of PanCa cells. Furthermore, PLGA-PL more effectively inhibited the components of the Shh pathway and Gli targets as determined by qPCR and Western blot analysis. Additionally, PLGA-PL treatment targets cancer stem cells by regulating pluripotency, maintaining stemness factors (Oct-4, Sox2, Nanog and c-Myc), and limiting tumor sphere formation.

Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrate that PLGA-PL nanoformulation exhibits superior anti-cancer potential than free PL against and could be used as a novel therapeutic modality for the management of PanCa.

Citation Format: Vivek Kumar Kashyap, Godwin P. Darkwah, Swati Dhasmana, Neeraj Chauhan, Anupam Dhasmana, Sudhir Kotnala, Partha Laskar, Mohammed Sikander, Bilal B. Hafeez, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan. Novel nanoformulation of piperlongumine for pancreatic cancer therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 305.

Abstract 5073: A novel in-situ nanoparticle self-assembly for combination delivery of therapeutics to non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Lung cancer is a predominant cause of morbidity and mortality across the world. Among all types of cancers, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortalities in the United States. Non-small cell lung cancer is one of the dominant divisions of lung cancer that solely represents 85-90% of all lung cancer cases. Up to the present time, primary treatment regimens for this cancer include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, with chemotherapy being the best option thus far. Despite the eminent benefits of chemotherapy, its value is offset by severe side effects such as renal and/or hepatic toxicity or insufficient amounts of drug available at the target site. Such pitfalls can be handled by employing natural compounds (polyphenols, phytochemicals, xanthonoid, etc.,) as chemopreventives or chemosensitizers which can improve chemotherapy activity while reducing its systemic side effects and drug resistance. To this end, our recent efforts demonstrated a synergistic therapeutic benefit of gambogic acid (GA) and gemcitabine (Gem) against lung cancer. However, simultaneous delivery of these two drugs at the tumor site is highly challenging. Therefore, development of an injectable nanoformulation that can effectively deliver both hydrophobic (GA) and hydrophilic (Gem) drugs in one formulation is a clinically unmet need.

Methods: Pursuing the novel nanotherapy approach, our lab has developed an in-situ biodegradable and biocompatible human serum albumin (HSA) and tannic acid (TA) mediated complexed GA and Gem nanoparticles (G-G@HTA NPs) using the solvent evaporation method. G-G@HTA NPs formation was confirmed by particle size, FT-IR, and H-NMR. A superior therapeutic activity of G-G@HTA NPs was demonstrated by multiple in vitro functional assays as well as in an animal mouse model.

Results: Our results confirmed that G-G@HTA NPs have the ideal particle size and surface charge for cancer cell/tissue delivery which can clearly be evident by preferential uptake of these nanoparticles in lung cancer cells. Further, G-G@HTA NPs superiorly inhibited cell proliferation and clonogenicity of NSCLC cells. Additionally, G-G@HTA NPs revealed an obvious and precise targeting of tumors in vivo. The promoted and more synergistic anti-tumor efficacy of G-G@HTA NPs was attained than that of combined treatments and single drugs treatments. These events were resulted with no apparent systemic and organ toxicities.

Conclusion: In summary, this study details the design of a novel nanocarrier and provides an optimized strategy for constructing dual-loaded nanoparticles using a biodegradable, non-toxic, human serum albumin-tannic acid-based platform for GA and Gem co-delivery in the treatment of NSCLC which confirms a strong feasibility to implement such synergistic nanomedicine regimen in pre-clinical and clinical translations in future.

Citation Format: Elham Hatami, Prashanth K. Nagesh, Neeraj Chauhan, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu. A novel in-situ nanoparticle self-assembly for combination delivery of therapeutics to non-small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5073.

Abstract LB007: A novel approach to target tumor immune microenvironment and improve checkpoint immunotherapies

Background: Pancreatic cancer remains 3rd deadliest disease, with less than 7-10% survival rate. Little progress has been seen in patient’s outcome due to high desmoplasia and chemo-resistance. Immunotherapy has shown promising results in cancers, except pancreatic cancer due to their characteristic fibrotic tumor microenvironment. The therapies are unable to penetrate fibrotic tumor leading to insufficient availability of therapeutic drugs at the tumor site. A recently identified mucin, MUC13 is aberrantly expressed in pancreatic tumors but not in normal pancreas, that makes it an excellent protein tumor target. This study is unique as it utilizes MUC13Ab for targeting the pancreatic tumor site and SPION nanoparticle system for delivering the stroma depleting drug (curcumin), which would help in improving immunotherapy response.

Methods: The inhouse generated MUC13Ab have been conjugated with our recently developed novel patented superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONS). Conjugation efficiency of the SPION-Anti-MUC13 particles was seen through cell uptake studies, by measuring fluorescence intensity, Prussian blue staining. Invasion assay and migration assay was carried out on KPC cells. We have used female C57BL/6J black mice, orthotopic mice model for investigating targeting efficacy of MUC13-SPION-CUR. Immune checkpoint therapy (PDL-1 and CTLA-4) was administrated along with MUC13-SPION-CUR and conjugated with fluorescent indocyanine green (ICG) dye for monitoring the tumor growth. Further, immunostimulatory effect of the nano formulation was done using flow cytometry.

Results: Our results showed that MUC13Ab conjugated SPIONS can efficiently internalize the PDAC cells. SPION-MUC13 using Indocyanine dye (ICG) specifically reached to the tumor site in an orthotopic syngeneic mouse model of PDAC as indicated by ICG fluorescence. Additionally, the combination formulation inhibited the tumor growth and showed more survival rate with CTLA-4. The combined treatment with CTLA-4 increased infiltration of total T cell population and CD8+T cells, reduced the population of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) by 43% (CD45+, CD3-, CD11b+, Ly6C high, Ly6G-) and T-Regulatory cells (Treg) by 23.8% (FoxP3+CD25+CD45+CD3+) in KrasG12D; LSL-Trp53R172H syngeneic mouse model of PDAC. Similar results were observed in SP-CUR-M13+PDL-1 group, which showed reduction in MDSCs (by 26.6%) and Tregs (by 0.1%) as compared with PDL-1 alone.

Conclusion: The formulation softens up the tumors for therapies that resulted in improved response to checkpoint immunotherapies in a pancreatic orthotopic mice model. Therefore, this study indicates high significance of MUC13-SPIONS-CUR for achieving pancreatic tumor specific delivery of drugs. This study has a potential to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by the disease and improve survival in patients.

Citation Format: Poornima Shaji, Ana Martinez, Melida Flores Cantu, Anupam Dhasmana, Neeraj Chauhan, Fnu Shabnam, Vincent Diego, Meena Jaggi, Stephen Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Subhash C. Chauhan, Sheema Khan. A novel approach to target tumor immune microenvironment and improve checkpoint immunotherapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr LB007.

Abstract 1547: LncRNA UCA1 modulates glucose metabolism proteins in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, it is the third most common cancer diagnosed in adults in the United States. It will have an estimated 149,500 new cases of colon cancer in 2021. In addition, studies show CRC has increased morbidity with obesity and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes. In a geographical area of The Rio Grande Valley which has a high incidence of diabetes, understanding the connection between CRC and diabetes is essential. Our lab identified LncRNA UCA1, a poor prognosis marker in CRC, responsible for increased proliferation and upregulating glucose metabolic pathway. First, we investigated the possible role of UCA1 in glucose metabolism, finding that UCA1 overexpressing cells (SW480+UCA1) showed a higher glucose consumption than their vector. The inverse of this trend was established when we knockdown UCA1 (SW620+shUCA1). Further, we found that overexpressing UCA1 increases the migration, invasion, and proliferation of SW480 cells. A vital aspect of the metastatic progression is when the cell survives detachment from the extracellular matrix. A route in which they overcome apoptosis is through modulation of the metabolic pathways, upregulating such markers as GLUT1, FDFT1, SGK1, and HIF1α. At 36hrs of anchorage-independent stimulation, we found an uptick in glucose consumption and lactate production and an increase in the expression of GLUT1, FDFT1, SGK1, and HIF1α compared to 0hrs. The Warburg effect is when glycolysis is no longer connected to the tricarboxylic acid cycle or oxidative phosphorylation. The increase in expression of the markers GLUT1, FDFT1, SGK1, and HIF1α indicates aerobic metabolic activity during anchorage-independent growth with UCA1 expression. This relationship needs to be further examined and could lead to understanding the increased morbidity associated with diabetes and CRC.

Citation Format: Sophia Leslie, Kyle Doxtater, Samantha Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Meena Jaggi, Subhash Chauhan, Manish Tripathi. LncRNA UCA1 modulates glucose metabolism proteins in colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1547.

Abstract 952: Attenuation of β-Catenin signaling by ormeloxifene in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent type of primary liver cancer with approximately 41,000 new diagnosis and 29,000 fatalities every year only in the U.S. Severe toxicity and poor response to available chemotherapeutic agents make HCC clinical management extremely difficult. Aberrant β-catenin signaling is found to play a critical role in differentiation grades of HCC patients. Thus, attempts to find more potent and non-toxic β-Catenin inhibitors is urgently needed for cancer therapy. Notably, ormeloxifene (ORM), clinically approved selective estrogen receptor modulator with therapeutic index, has shown excellent anticancer activity, rendering it as an ideal candidate for repurposing. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer potential of ORM against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methodology: Cell proliferation and colony formation assays were performed to assess the therapeutic activity of ORM in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2, SK-HEP-1, Hep3B, and C3A) cells. Boyden chamber and Matrigel assays were carried out for investigating the effect of ORM on migration and invasion abilities of HCC cells, respectively. The effects of ORM on β-catenin and EMT associated proteins were analyzed through Western blotting and qPCR. Confocal microscopy was used to determine the β-catenin nuclear localization following ORM treatment in HCC cells.

Results: As compared to vehicle-treated group, ORM treatment (2.5-20 µM) suppressed proliferation and colony formation in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. Moreover, ORM treatment suppresses the migration and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells as shown by wound healing and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. ORM effectively inhibited the protein levels and mRNA expression of total β-catenin. Additionally, our confocal microscopy results further showed reduced nuclear translocation of β-catenin following the ORM treatment. ORM treatment inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process as evident by repression of N-cadherin, Slug, Snail, vimentin, MMPs (MMP2 and MMP3), and induced the expression of pGSK3β. Experiments are also being conducted to see how ORM affects epigenetic markers linked to EMT and β-catenin signaling.

Conclusion: Taken together, ORM inhibited β-catenin signaling and exhibited potent anticancer effects against HCC and could be investigated further as a novel therapeutic modality for HCC treatment.

Citation Format: Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Anyssa Rodriguez, Molly Vela, Daniel Zubieta, Vivek K. Kashyap, Anupam Dhasmana, Bilal B. Hafeez, Sheema Khan, Fathi T. Halaweish, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi. Attenuation of β-Catenin signaling by ormeloxifene in hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 952.

Abstract 544: Role of an ankyrin domain protein in hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Background: Liver cancer is the third leading cause of mortality attributed to cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form among various histological types accounting for 85% to 90% of primary liver cancers. As per Texas Cancer Registry, the Hispanic population had an incidence of 21.2 per 100,000 in Texas. The Rio Grande Valley, located in South Texas, is an underserved area composed highly of Hispanics. It faces multiple disparities that can attribute to increased risk factors of HCC and, thus, a higher liver cancer incidence and mortality. Due to this, there is a need to identify a new, inexpensive, and faster diagnostic biomarker in liver cancer. We have recently identified an extracellular secreted cancer antigen POTE-2, a member of the ankyrin domain-containing POTE gene family. Our preliminary data indicates high POTE-2 expression in HCC tumors. In this study, we will discuss the role of POTE-2 in HCC progression and its associated regulatory pathways.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database of HCC patients (n=371 tumor; n=50 normal) was analyzed. Liver cancer cell lines procured from ATCC were analyzed for POTE-2 mRNA and protein expression through RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Lentiviral-based plasmids were used for overexpression and knockdown studies for oncogenic assays. Localization of POTE-2, YAP1, and PDL1 was identified with immunofluorescence.

Results: Comprehensive analysis of the TCGA database showed increased POTE-2 expression in tumors and is upregulated in all stages of HCC. Lentiviral transduction led to a change in phenotype in oncogenic assays. Modulation of POTE-2 expression led to changes in kinase activity and regulatory pathways. Immunofluorescence showed nuclear localization of YAP1 and PDL1 in the liver cancer cell lines.

Conclusion: These studies will help discover novel mechanisms of POTE-2 protein function, signaling pathways, and its role in liver cancer progression.

Citation Format: Samantha Lopez, Adithya Anilkumar, Kyle Doxtater, Sudhir Kotnala, Neeraj Chauhan, Murali Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash Chauhan, Manish Tripathi. Role of an ankyrin domain protein in hepatocellular carcinoma progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 544.

Abstract 992: MUC13 enhances colorectal cancer metastasis through molecular interaction with YAP1 transcription factor

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. About 90% of all cancer-related deaths are due to the development of metastatic sites in the body. 40-50% of colorectal cancer patients develop metastasis at some point during their fight with the disease. Understanding the mechanism of metastasis in colorectal cancer is vital. Metastasis is a multistep process; anchorage-independent survival after intravasation of cells from the primary tumor site is a crucial step. In our lab, we have previously demonstrated that MUC13 plays an essential role in the CRC progression by modulating anti-apoptotic pathways and survival proteins expression. Under anchorage-independent growth conditions, we have identified that MUC13, in correspondence with YAP1, is the key upregulated protein and is responsible for increased survival. Isogenic CRC cell lines SW480 (non-metastatic) and SW620 (metastatic) on low adherence growth conditions are applied in these studies. In addition, lentiviral transduced stable overexpression and knockdown cell lines were generated for MUC13 and YAP1 mechanistic studies. The overexpression of MUC13 in non-metastatic SW480 cells (low MUC13 expressing) increased anchorage-independent survival and enhanced tumorigenesis compared to SW480+Vector cells, contrary results were found upon MUC13 knockdown in SW620 cells (high MUC13 expressing). In vitro results were recapitulated in the in vivo mouse model system and human CRC tissues. In Proximity Ligation Assays (PLA), we found an increased nuclear localization of the survival complex YAP1/β-catenin in MUC13 overexpressing cells. In contrast, MUC13 knockdown resulted to the lower aboudance of survival complex in the nucleus. Immunoprecipitation validates the protein-protein interaction between MUC13 and YAP1. YAP1 knockdown in MUC13 overexpressing cells showed a decrease in survival, indicating the necessary functional complex formation between MUC13 and YAP1. MUC13 and YAP1 expression in human CRC tissue were highest at Stage II. However, YAP1 expression increased when MUC13 was observed in the nucleus. This supports the notion that MUC13 is critical in enhancing CRC metastasis through molecular interaction with YAP1. For the first time, this study demonstrates complex formation between MUC13 and YAP1 and defines their role in CRC progression and metastasis.

Citation Format: Kyle Doxtater, Manish K. Tripathi, Radhika Sekhri, Sudhir Kotnala, Bilal Hafeez, Sheema Khan, Nadeem Zafar, Murali Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash Chauhan. MUC13 enhances colorectal cancer metastasis through molecular interaction with YAP1 transcription factor [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 992.

Abstract 3746: Influence of diethylnitrosamine on Mucin 13 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is regarded as environmental-related cancer due to involvement of chemical carcinogen and viral components in multistage process. Accumulating studies have shown that obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to HCC, have been linked to modern diets that are high in fat and charcoal-grilled processed meat, however, the exact processes through which diet contributes to hepato-carcinogenesis remain unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that diethylnitrosamine (DEN), a subgroup of the N-nitroso compounds presents in food additive/preservative, tobacco smoke, and pharmaceutical products, upregulates the Mucin 13, transmembrane mucin, via miR-145 suppression accompanied by hepatocarcinogenesis events.

Methodology: Western blotting and qPCR were performed to examine the treatment effects of DEN on Mucin 13 and associated effector proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma cell (HepG2, Hep3B, C3A, and SK-HEP-1) lines. Chemically induced (DEN; 200 mg/kg bw; 2-AAF (150 mg/kg bw) animal model was used to further investigate the Mucin 13 expression. The serum AST, ALT and ALP activity were measured using kits provided by Span diagnostics. Immunohistochemistry was used to stain tumor tissue sections for Mucin 13 expression, and in situ hybridization was performed to detect miR-145 levels. Molecular docking studies were performed using Auto dock 4 package.

Results: Our study demonstrated that DEN treatment facilitates the DNA adducts formation in liver cancer cell lines as compared to vehicle controls. Moreover, DEN treatment upregulates Mucin 13 and associated effector proteins as analyzed by qPCR and Western blotting. Liver section of DEN+2-AAF-administered group showed vacuolization of hepatocytes in the centrizonal area with variation of nuclear size. Clear nuclear atypia in the adenoma was seen. The serum activities of AST, ALP and ALT in diseased animals correlated with the liver cancer progression. Additionally, Mucin 13 was also upregulated by DEN treatment in liver tissues. Intriguingly, nuclear Mucin 13 staining was very less in normal liver tissues, whereas its levels were significantly increased DEN+2-AAF induced HCC. These observations indicate that nuclear localization of Mucin 13 may contribute to the malignant transformation of hepatocytes during carcinogenesis. This revealed significant downregulation of tumor suppressors miR-145 in tumor tissues as compared to normal control. Molecular modelling analysis revealed that DEN interacts with Mucin 13 and forms a stable complex by offering numerous interactions with the residues of Mucin 13.

Conclusions: We propose that DEN modulates Mucin 13 and associated effector proteins in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Citation Format: Shabnam Malik, Mohammed Sikander, Parvez Khan, Murali M. Yallapu, Swatantra Jain, Deepshikha P. Katare, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi. Influence of diethylnitrosamine on Mucin 13 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3746.

Abstract 2790: Exosomes as nanocarriers for biomolecules and potential diagnostic targets in cancer

Introduction: The tumor microenvironment is a dynamic domain and communication hub for signaling molecules, contributing to proliferative and metastatic behaviors observed in cancerous tissues. Intercellular interactions are commonly mediated through extracellular vesicles that carry vital information for growth and survival, a feature that is highly advantageous for cancer cells to hijack. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in the United States. Often aggressive, HCC arises from the uncontrollable division of hepatocytes, which may disrupt the regular functions of the liver and other organs. Identifying biomarkers is essential to potentiate drug treatments while minimizing chances of metastasis, recurrence, and mortality. Highly proliferative cells are known to secrete exosomes containing tumor-enhancing biomolecules that contribute to cancerous progression. Thus, analyzing exosomal cargo in serum is especially attractive for early diagnostics, profiling, and therapeutic purposes. We have explored potential oncogenic lncRNAs and extracellular signaling proteins in HCC and conducted phenotypic studies to observe their mode of action.

Methods: HCC cell lines were propagated in EMEM containing exosome-free FBS. Exosomes were harvested with ThermoFisher Total Exosome Isolation Reagent from cell culture media, then resuspended in PBS. Zetasizer was used to measure the sizes of harvested exosomes, and western blot analysis was used to confirm exosomal markers. UCA1 and MALAT1 were checked via RTPCR via exosomes spiked with bacterial RNA as the loading control. Bradford assays were performed on exosomes lysed with RIPA for quantifying cargo proteins. Exosomal POTE-2 was observed through western blot analysis, in addition to ELISAs to identify their presence in media. Phenotypic studies were performed using isolated exosomes.

Results: The isolated exosomes were within the size range of 40-200nm, with a negative charge. The western blot of the exosomal markers confirmed their purity. RTPCR results showed LncRNAs MALAT1 and lncRNA UCA1 present in exosomes, whereas POTE-2 protein presence was confirmed with western blot. Phenotypic studies from the isolated exosomes are in progress.

Conclusions: Exosomes in serum are easily accessible biomolecules making them functional, less invasive targets for profiling, diagnostics, and therapeutics via liquid biopsies. Exosome-mediated delivery of lncRNAs MALAT1 and UCA1 to primary CRC cells has been found to promote malignancy. We have verified their presence in exosomes secreted by metastatic cell lines, in addition to oncoprotein POTE-2, which hold numerous significances for our phenotypic studies. These findings reaffirm exosomes as essential contributors to disease pathogenesis and present them as promising targets for diagnostics and treatment.

Citation Format: Adithya Anilkumar, Samantha Lopez, Sophia Leslie, Kyle Doxtater, Neeraj Chauhan, Bilal Hafeez, Murali Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash Chauhan, Manish Tripathi. Exosomes as nanocarriers for biomolecules and potential diagnostic targets in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2790.

Withania somnifera: Progress towards a Pharmaceutical Agent for Immunomodulation and Cancer Therapeutics

Chemotherapy is one of the prime treatment options for cancer. However, the key issues with traditional chemotherapy are recurrence of cancer, development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, affordability, late-stage detection, serious health consequences, and inaccessibility. Hence, there is an urgent need to find innovative and cost-effective therapies that can target multiple gene products with minimal adverse reactions. Natural phytochemicals originating from plants constitute a significant proportion of the possible therapeutic agents. In this article, we reviewed the advances and the potential of Withania somnifera (WS) as an anticancer and immunomodulatory molecule. Several preclinical studies have shown the potential of WS to prevent or slow the progression of cancer originating from various organs such as the liver, cervix, breast, brain, colon, skin, lung, and prostate. WS extracts act via various pathways and provide optimum effectiveness against drug resistance in cancer. However, stability, bioavailability, and target specificity are major obstacles in combination therapy and have limited their application. The novel nanotechnology approaches enable solubility, stability, absorption, protection from premature degradation in the body, and increased circulation time and invariably results in a high differential uptake efficiency in the phytochemical’s target cells. The present review primarily emphasizes the insights of WS source, chemistry, and the molecular pathways involved in tumor regression, as well as developments achieved in the delivery of WS for cancer therapy using nanotechnology. This review substantiates WS as a potential immunomodulatory, anticancer, and chemopreventive agent and highlights its potential use in cancer treatment.

In Situ Nanoparticle Self-Assembly for Combination Delivery of Therapeutics to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Chemotherapy often experiences several challenges including severe systemic toxicity and adverse effects. The combination chemotherapy arose as an effective clinical practice aimed at reducing doses of drugs to achieve synergistic actions with low toxicity. Our recent efforts demonstrated a synergistic therapeutic benefit of gambogic acid (GA) and gemcitabine (Gem) against lung cancer. However, simultaneous delivery of these two drugs at the tumor site is highly challenging. Therefore, the development of an injectable formulation that can effectively deliver both hydrophobic (GA) and hydrophilic (Gem) drugs in one formulation is a clinically unmet need. Herein, this study reports an in situ human serum albumin (HSA)- and tannic acid (TA)-mediated complexed GA and Gem nanoparticles (G-G@HTA NPs). G-G@HTA NP formation was confirmed by the particle size, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The superior therapeutic activity of G-G@HTA NPs was demonstrated by multiple in vitro functional assays. Additionally, G-G@HTA NPs revealed an obvious and precise targeting of tumors in vivo. The promoted and more synergistic anti-tumor efficacy of G-G@HTA NPs was attained than that of combined treatments and single drug treatments. These events have resulted in no apparent systemic and organ toxicities. Together, this study suggests that in situ HSA-TA-based combinatorial treatment strategy is a suitable approach for application in lung cancer treatment.

The panoramic view of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A fatal intricate neurological disorder

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurological disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons. In the United States alone, there are 16,000-20,000 established cases of ALS. The early disease diagnosis is challenging due to many overlapping pathophysiologies with other neurological diseases. The etiology of ALS is unknown; however, it is divided into two categories: familial ALS (fALS) which occurs due to gene mutations & contributes to 5-10% of ALS, and sporadic ALS (sALS) which is due to environmental factors & contributes to 90-95% of ALS. There is still no curative treatment for ALS: palliative care and symptomatic treatment are therefore essential components in the management of these patients. In this review, we provide a panoramic view of ALS, which includes epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiologies, biomarkers, diagnosis, therapeutics (natural, synthetic, gene-based, pharmacological, stem cell, extracellular vesicles, and physical therapy), controversies (in the clinical trials of ALS), the scope of nanomedicine in ALS, and future perspectives.

Steviol Represses Glucose Metabolism and Translation Initiation in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis and lowest survival rate among all cancers. Pancreatic cancer cells are highly metabolically active and typically reprogrammed for aberrant glucose metabolism; thus they respond poorly to therapeutic modalities. It is highly imperative to understand mechanisms that are responsible for high glucose metabolism and identify natural/synthetic agents that can repress glucose metabolic machinery in pancreatic cancer cells, to improve the therapeutic outcomes/management of pancreatic cancer patients. We have identified a glycoside, steviol that effectively represses glucose consumption in pancreatic cancer cells via the inhibition of the translation initiation machinery of the molecular components. Herein, we report that steviol effectively inhibits the glucose uptake and lactate production in pancreatic cancer cells (AsPC1 and HPAF-II). The growth, colonization, and invasion characteristics of pancreatic cancer cells were also determined by in vitro functional assay. Steviol treatment also inhibited the tumorigenic and metastatic potential of human pancreatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G1/M phase. The metabolic shift by steviol was mediated through the repression of the phosphorylation of mTOR and translation initiation proteins (4E-BP1, eIF4e, eIF4B, and eIF4G). Overall, the results of this study suggest that steviol can effectively suppress the glucose metabolism and translation initiation in pancreatic cancer cells to mitigate their aggressiveness. This study might help in the design of newer combination therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer treatment.

A topography of immunotherapies against gastrointestinal malignancies

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although various approaches are implemented to improve the health condition of GI patients, none of the treatment protocols promise for eradicating cancer. However, a treatment mechanism against any kind of disease condition is already existing executing inside the human body. The 'immune system' is highly efficient to detect and destroy the unfavourable events of the body including tumor cells. The immune system can restrict the growth and proliferation of cancer. Cancer cells behave much smarter and adopt new mechanisms for hiding from the immune cells. Thus, cancer immunotherapy might play a decisive role to train the immune system against cancer. In this review, we have discussed the immunotherapy permitted for the treatment of GI cancers. We have discussed various methods and mechanisms, periodic development of cancer immunotherapies, approved biologicals, completed and ongoing clinical trials, role of various biopharmaceuticals, and epigenetic factors involved in GI cancer immunotherapies (graphical abstract Figure 1).

Bioactive nanotherapeutic trends to combat triple negative breast cancer

The management of aggressive breast cancer, particularly, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a formidable challenge, despite treatment advancement. Although newer therapies such as atezolizumab, olaparib, and sacituzumab can tackle the breast cancer prognosis and/or progression, but achieved limited survival benefit(s). The current research efforts are aimed to develop and implement strategies for improved bioavailability, targetability, reduce systemic toxicity, and enhance therapeutic outcome of FDA-approved treatment regimen. This review presents various nanoparticle technology mediated delivery of chemotherapeutic agent(s) for breast cancer treatment. This article also documents novel strategies to employ cellular and cell membrane cloaked (biomimetic) nanoparticles for effective clinical translation. These technologies offer a safe and active targeting nanomedicine for effective management of breast cancer, especially TNBC.

Milk exosomes: Nature's abundant nanoplatform for theranostic applications

Exosomes are a unique subpopulation of naturally occurring extracellular vesicles which are smaller intracellular membrane nanoparticle vesicles. Exosomes have proven to be excellent nanocarriers for carrying lipids, proteins, mRNAs, non-coding RNAs, and DNAs, and disseminating long-distance intercellular communications in various biological processes. Among various cell-line or biological fluid derived exosomes, milk exosomes are abundant in nature and exhibit many nanocarrier characteristics favorable for theranostic applications. To be an effective delivery carrier for their clinical translation, exosomes must inbuilt loading, release, targeting, and imaging/tracking characteristics. Considering the unmet gaps of milk exosomes in theranostic technology it is essential to focus the current review on drug delivery and imaging applications. This review delineates the efficiency of exosomes to load therapeutic or imaging agents and their successful delivery approaches. It is emphasized on possible modifications of exosomes towards increasing the stability and delivery of agents. This article also summarizes the specific applications and the process of developing milk exosomes as a future pharmaceutical drug delivery vehicle.

Nanotechnology synergized immunoengineering for cancer

Novel strategies modulating the immune system yielded enhanced anticancer responses and improved cancer survival. Nevertheless, the success rate of immunotherapy in cancer treatment has been below expectation(s) due to unpredictable efficacy and off-target effects from systemic dosing of immunotherapeutic(s). As a result, there is an unmet clinical need for improving conventional immunotherapy. Nanotechnology offers several new strategies, multimodality, and multiplex biological targeting advantage to overcome many of these challenges. These efforts enable programming the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and delivery of immunomodulatory agents/co-delivery of compounds to prime at the tumor sites for improved therapeutic benefits. This review provides an overview of the design and clinical principles of biomaterials driven nanotechnology and their potential use in personalized nanomedicines, vaccines, localized tumor modulation, and delivery strategies for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we also summarize the latest highlights and recent advances in combinatorial therapies availed in the treatment of cold and complicated tumors. It also presents key steps and parameters implemented for clinical success. Finally, we analyse, discuss, and provide clinical perspectives on the integrated opportunities of nanotechnology and immunology to achieve synergistic and durable responses in cancer treatment.

Clinical Implications of Exosomes: Targeted Drug Delivery for Cancer Treatment

Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles generated by cells for intercellular communication. Due to their composition, significant research has been conducted to transform these particles into specific delivery systems for various disease states. In this review, we discuss the common isolation and loading methods of exosomes, some of the major roles of exosomes in the tumor microenvironment, as well as discuss recent applications of exosomes as drug delivery vessels and the resulting clinical implications.

InterCarb: A Community Effort to Improve Interlaboratory Standardization of the Carbonate Clumped Isotope Thermometer Using Carbonate Standards

Increased use and improved methodology of carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has greatly enhanced our ability to interrogate a suite of Earth-system processes. However, interlaboratory discrepancies in quantifying carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) measurements persist, and their specific sources remain unclear. To address interlaboratory differences, we first provide consensus values from the clumped isotope community for four carbonate standards relative to heated and equilibrated gases with 1,819 individual analyses from 10 laboratories. Then we analyzed the four carbonate standards along with three additional standards, spanning a broad range of δ47 and Δ47 values, for a total of 5,329 analyses on 25 individual mass spectrometers from 22 different laboratories. Treating three of the materials as known standards and the other four as unknowns, we find that the use of carbonate reference materials is a robust method for standardization that yields interlaboratory discrepancies entirely consistent with intralaboratory analytical uncertainties. Carbonate reference materials, along with measurement and data processing practices described herein, provide the carbonate clumped isotope community with a robust approach to achieve interlaboratory agreement as we continue to use and improve this powerful geochemical tool. We propose that carbonate clumped isotope data normalized to the carbonate reference materials described in this publication should be reported as Δ47 (I-CDES) values for Intercarb-Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium Scale.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein via Natural Compounds: A Multilayered High Throughput Virtual Screening Approach

BACKGROUND

Previously human society has faced various unprecedented pandemics in the history and viruses have majorly held the responsibilities of those outbreaks. Furthermore, due to amplified global connection and speedy modernization, epidemic outbreaks caused by novel and re-emerging viruses signify potential risk to community health. Despite great advancements in immunization and drug discovery processes, various viruses still lack prophylactic vaccines and efficient antiviral therapies. Although, vaccine is a prophylaxes option, but it cannot be applied to infected patients, hence therapeutic interventions are urgently needed to control the ongoing global SARS- CoV-2 pandemic condition. To spot the novel antiviral therapy is of decisive importance and Mother Nature is an excellent source for such discoveries.

METHODOLOGY

In this article, prompt high through-put virtual screening for vetting the best possible drug candidates from natural compounds' databases has been implemented. Herein, time tested rigorous multi-layered drug screening process to narrow down 66,969 natural compounds for the identification of potential lead(s) is implemented. Druggability parameters, different docking approaches and neutralization tendency of the natural products were employed in this study to screen the best possible natural compounds from the digital libraries.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study conclude that compounds PALA and HMCA are potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and can be further explored for experimental validation. Overall, the methodological approach reported in this article can be suitably used to find the potential drug candidates against SARS-CoV2 in the burning situation of COVID-19 with less expenditure and a concise span of time.

Role of Nutraceuticals in COVID-19 Mediated Liver Dysfunction

COVID-19 is known as one of the deadliest pandemics of the century. The rapid spread of this deadly virus at incredible speed has stunned the planet and poses a challenge to global scientific and medical communities. Patients with COVID-19 are at an increased risk of co-morbidities associated with liver dysfunction and injury. Moreover, hepatotoxicity induced by antiviral therapy is gaining importance and is an area of great concern. Currently, alternatives therapies are being sought to mitigate hepatic damage, and there has been growing interest in the research on bioactive phytochemical agents (nutraceuticals) due to their versatility in health benefits reported in various epidemiological studies. Therefore, this review provides information and summarizes the juncture of antiviral, immunomodulatory, and hepatoprotective nutraceuticals that can be useful during the management of COVID-19.

COVID-19: fighting the invisible enemy with microRNAs

INTRODUCTION

The novel coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It is believed that early reports of COVID-19 cases were noticed in December 2019 and soon after it became a global public health emergency. It is advised that COVID-19 transmits through human to human contact and in most cases, it remains asymptomatic. Several approaches are being utilized to control the outbreak of this fatal viral disease. microRNAs (miRNAs) are known signature therapeutic tool for the viral diseases; they are small non-coding RNAs that target the mRNAs to inhibit their post-transcriptional expression, therefore, impeding their functions, can serve as watchdogs or micromanagers in the cells.

AREAS COVERED

This review work delineated COVID-19 and its association with SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), the possible role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and therapeutic potential of miRNAs and their effective delivery to treat COVID-19.

EXPERT OPINION

This review highlighted the importance of various miRNAs and their potential role in fighting with this pandemic as therapeutic molecules utilizing nanotechnology.

Comprehensive Review on Current Interventions, Diagnostics, and Nanotechnology Perspectives against SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically challenged the healthcare system of almost all countries. The authorities are struggling to minimize the mortality along with ameliorating the economic downturn. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no promising medicine or vaccine available. Herein, we deliver perspectives of nanotechnology for increasing the specificity and sensitivity of current interventional platforms toward the urgent need of quickly deployable solutions. This review summarizes the recent involvement of nanotechnology from the development of a biosensor to fabrication of a multifunctional nanohybrid system for respiratory and deadly viruses, along with the recent interventions and current understanding about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

miR-205: A Potential Biomedicine for Cancer Therapy

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs post transcriptionally. miRNAs are known to regulate not just a gene but the whole gene network (signaling pathways). Accumulating evidence(s) suggests that miRNAs can work either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, but some miRNAs have a dual nature since they can act as both. miRNA 205 (miR-205) is one such highly conserved miRNA that can act as both, oncomiRNA and tumor suppressor. However, most reports confirm its emerging role as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. This review focuses on the downregulated expression of miR-205 and discusses its dysregulation in breast, prostate, skin, liver, gliomas, pancreatic, colorectal and renal cancers. This review also confers its role in tumor initiation, progression, cell proliferation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and tumor metastasis. Restoration of miR-205 makes cells more sensitive to drug treatments and mitigates drug resistance. Additionally, the importance of miR-205 in chemosensitization and its utilization as potential biomedicine and nanotherapy is described. Together, this review research article sheds a light on its application as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker, and as a biomedicine in cancer.

Abstract 4195: Steviol induces pancreatic cancer cell death via targeting glucose metabolism and protein translation pathways

Background Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies, and fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Aberrant glucose metabolism in cancer cells leads to enhanced tumor growth and aggressiveness. Herein, we have identified an important constituent, steviol from the plant Stevia rebaudiana, which inhibits pancreatic cancer cells via modulation of glucose metabolism and protein translation.

Methods Glucose and Lactate assays were performed in pancreatic cancer cells (HPAF-II and AsPC1) using kits purchased from Cayman Chemical. The effect of steviol on the growth, colonization and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells was determined by using in vitro functional assays for cell viability (MTT and xCELLigence), migration (Boyden chambers), invasion (Matrigel) and colonogenicity. The cell cycle study was performed using propidium iodide and analysis done through ModFit software. Immunoblotting was performed to analyze the expression of key proteins associated with translation machinery and apoptotic signaling pathways.

Results Our results demonstrate that steviol inhibits proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells and modulates their glucose uptake and lactate secretion. Steviol treatment regulates the expression of proteins that control the translation machinery in a cell, which include mTOR, 4EBP1, eIF4E, eIF4B and eIF4G. Treatment of cells with steviol was observed to modulate cell cycle regulatory proteins, including p18, p21 and Cyclin D1 and block the cell cycle progression at G1 phase This followed the activation of apoptosis as indicated by upregulation of apoptotic protein, Bax and PARP cleavage.

Conclusion: These results suggest that steviol suppresses pancreatic cancer growth and progression by regulating the glucose metabolism and protein translation. This prospects steviol as a promising therapeutic modality for pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment alone or in combination with other existing chemotherapeutic drugs.

Citation Format: Sonam Kumari, Sheema Khan, Mohammed Sikander, Shabnam Malik, Subhash C. Chauhan, Meena Jaggi. Steviol induces pancreatic cancer cell death via targeting glucose metabolism and protein translation pathways [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4195.

Abstract 3142: Stress regulated role of lncRNA Malat1 in colorectal cancer progression and metastasis

Background: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. The five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with distant stages declines to 14%, which is of concern when compared to 90% for localized-stage and 71% for regional stage disease. This necessitates the need for early diagnostic biomarkers, to minimize poor drug response/resistance, recurrence, metastasis and mortality. Disproportionate biochemical stressors increase the risk of developing CRC and its progression by influencing molecular drivers within the coding and noncoding parts of the genome. Thus, understanding the biological mechanism of these stress factors on the molecular drivers of this disease can provide pivotal information pertinent to CRC development and progression. Recently, our laboratory has identified a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) namely, Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1), which is highly over-expressed in CRC and is involved in its pathogenesis and is regulated by transcription factor Nuclear Factor of Activated T cell 1 (NFATc1).

Methods: Archived human CRC tissues were stained using a recently standardized Z-probe technology. TCGA database of ~600 CRC patients was also analyzed using the bioinformatic approach. CRC cell lines were profiled for MALAT1 expression using RT-PCR. Lentiviral constructs were used to generate stable lncRNA MALAT1 expressing cell lines. CRISPR/Cas9 constructs were used to knockdown lncRNA MALAT1 and NFATc1. Mouse model was used to verify the stress induced expression of MALAT1 and NFATc1. ReCLP (Reversible Cross-Linked Precipitation) and iRAP (invitro RNA Antisense Proteomics) studies are in progress to identify the associated proteins and complexes.

Results: RNAScope analysis showed MALAT1 to be highly over-expressed in human CRC tissues. MALAT1 expression increased with stage and negatively correlated with the tumor size. TCGA database analysis confirmed our findings. Multiple NFATc1 binding site were identified by ChIPseq database. Overexpression of transcription factor NFATc1 upregulated lncRNA MALAT1 expression. CRISPR/Cas9 based knockdown of NFATc1 downregulated NFATC1 and lncRNA MALAT1, but vice versa was not true, indicating NFATc1 to be upstream of lncRNA MALAT1. Also, expression of MALAT1, NFATc1 and IL-6 were highly upregulated by biochemical stressor cortisol in mouse colonic tissues. Further studies are in progress for direct association of NFATc1 on MALAT1 promoter and mechanism by which the stress factor regulate NFATc1 expression and hence lncRNA MALAT1 expression.

Conclusion: This study helps to understand influence of biochemical stress factors on long noncoding RNA MALAT1 and transcription factor NFATc1 etiology. Early diagnosis of these molecular markers will help in designing novel preventive/therapeutic strategies to reduce CRC progression, metastasis and hence mortality.

Citation Format: Kyle Doxtater, Chidi Zacheaus, Radhika Sekhri, Utkarsh K. Mishra, Zachary E. Stiles, Nitish Mishra, Chittibabu Guda, Nadeem Zafar, Mahul Amin, Pradeep Shukla, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Manish K. Tripathi. Stress regulated role of lncRNA Malat1 in colorectal cancer progression and metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3142.

Abstract 4916: MUC13 enhances anchorage independent survival and cooperates with YAP1 and β-catenin towards colorectal cancer metastasis

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most common and deadliest cancers in the United States. About 90% of all cancer related deaths are due to the development of metastatic sites in the body. Metastasis develops slowly over time, due to it being an inefficient process and having to overcome several natural defenses, anchorage independent growth aka Anoikis, being one of them. Understanding the mechanism overcoming Anoikis will help develop new therapeutic options to prevent the metastatic spread of cancer cells. Low adhesion cell culture model was developed and standardized to study the key pathways and proteins responsible for anchorage independent survival and metastasis progression in CRC. We identified mucin MUC13 in correspondence with YAP1 and β-catenin as key upregulated proteins in anchorage independent survival and metastasis progression. In an isogeneic CRC cell line model, overexpression of MUC13 in non-metastatic SW480 cells (originally expressing minimal MUC13) increased anchorage independent survival and enhanced tumorigenesis compared to SW480+Vector cells. Metastatic SW620 CRC cells (highly expressing MUC13) showed a decreased anchorage independent survival and tumorigenesis after knockdown using specific shRNA targeted against MUC13, compared to its vector. When co-cultured with fibroblast cells SW480+MUC13 cells showed an increase in spheroid size and percentage of live cells after 36hrs as compared to control cells. A decrease in spheroid size and live cells was observed with SW620+shMUC13 cells, compared to its control. We also observed an upregulation of key downstream β-catenin target genes c-Myc, Axin2 and an increase in YAP1 expression in MUC13 over-expressing cells. With MUC13 overexpression we observed and increase in the formation of YAP1/β-catenin survival complex within the nucleus at 36hrs compared to SW480+Vector. Enhanced interaction between MUC13/YAP1 and MUC13/β-catenin in the nucleus was also observed. In human CRC tissues, MUC13 and YAP1 expression was high in tumor compared to normal adjacent tumor. MUC13 and YAP1 expression in human CRC tissue was highest at Stage II. However, highest YAP1 expression was observed while MUC13 and/or β-catenin present in the nucleus. This supports the notion that MUC13 is a key factor in enhancing anchorage independence survival and CRC tumorigenesis through cooperation with YAP1 and β-catenin. This study for the first time demonstrates complex formation between MUC13, YAP1 and β-catenin, and define their role in CRC progression and metastasis.

Citation Format: Kyle Doxtater, Radhika Sekhri, Utkarsh Mishra, Meena Jaggi, Manish Tripathi, Subhash Chauhan. MUC13 enhances anchorage independent survival and cooperates with YAP1 and β-catenin towards colorectal cancer metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4916.

Gambogic acid potentiates gemcitabine induced anticancer activity in non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent type of lung cancer accounting up to 80-85% of all lung cancer (LC) cases. Gemcitabine (Gem), a pyrimidine nucleoside antimetabolite, is widely used chemotherapy offering several months survival benefit in patients with NSCLC. The emergence of Gem resistance is a main clinical concern in cancer treatment and thus a continuous demand for development of new therapeutic strategies to improve its antitumor activity. Hence, we report an adjuvant therapeutic regimen based on natural compound, gambogic acid (GA) which has been shown to enhanced Gem induced inhibition of cancer cell growth, arrest cell cycle, and induce apoptosis by enhanced accumulation of Gem. The in vitro cell viability, clonogenicity, invasion, and migration assays demonstrated a significant higher therapeutic effect of Gem when it was combined with GA in A549 and H1299 cells. A better access of internalization of drug molecules achieved in rhodamine 123 assay when GA was used as adjuvant treatment. Further, GA and Gem combination significantly reduced tubular formation of HUVEC cells indicates lowering angiogenesis potential. Microarray and Western blot studies confirm that GA + Gem co-treatment strategy promotes cancer cell death by downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins, chemoresistance-associated proteins, and upregulation of apoptosis proteins. More importantly, a significant higher therapeutic benefit was noticed for GA and Gem combination in A549 xenograft mice model. Together, these results offer a rationale to evaluate the clinical translational possibility of GA as adjuvant therapy to overcome Gem resistance. This combination regimen can be a new therapeutic concept to eradicate this devastating disease.

Topological and system-level protein interaction network (PIN) analyses to deduce molecular mechanism of curcumin

Curcumin is an important bioactive component of turmeric and also one of the important natural products, which has been investigated extensively. The precise mode of action of curcumin and its impact on system level protein networks are still not well studied. To identify the curcumin governed regulatory action on protein interaction network (PIN), an interectome was created based on 788 key proteins, extracted from PubMed literatures, and constructed by using STRING and Cytoscape programs. The PIN rewired by curcumin was a scale-free, extremely linked biological system. MCODE plug-in was used for sub-modulization analysis, wherein we identified 25 modules; ClueGo plug-in was used for the pathway’s enrichment analysis, wherein 37 enriched signalling pathways were obtained. Most of them were associated with human diseases groups, particularly carcinogenesis, inflammation, and infectious diseases. Finally, the analysis of topological characteristic like bottleneck, degree, GO term/pathways analysis, bio-kinetics simulation, molecular docking, and dynamics studies were performed for the selection of key regulatory proteins of curcumin-rewired PIN. The current findings deduce a precise molecular mechanism that curcumin might exert in the system. This comprehensive in-silico study will help to understand how curcumin induces its anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial effects in the human body.