Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xin Yuan, Zhenxiao Niu, Lang Liu, Youjun Zeng, Lin Ma, Zhaogang Nie, Zhen Tian, Dongyun Kai, Fangteng Zhang, Guanyu Liu, Siwei Li, Zhengqiang Yuan
Summary: This study reports the development of a novel high-sensitivity ISPRi biosensor and its application in detecting apoptosis in cancer cells. By optimizing the excitation wavelength and angle, a high refractive index resolution was achieved. The biosensor has been validated for high-throughput and label-free detection of activated caspase-3 in apoptotic cells.
Review
Neurosciences
Aziz Unnisa, Nigel H. H. Greig, Mohammad Amjad Kamal
Summary: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and morbidity, and is the focus of translational research. Apoptosis is important in the pathophysiology of TBI, and inhibiting it may improve functional recovery. Caspases, such as Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, are key mediators of cell death due to apoptosis in TBI. Understanding these apoptotic pathways and finding ways to inhibit Caspases may have significant treatment implications for TBI.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Rui Gong, Dianbing Wang, Ghulam Abbas, Shimin Li, Qian Liu, Mengmeng Cui, Xian-En Zhang
Summary: This study introduces a genetically encoded switch-on mNeonGreen2-based biosensor for detecting caspase-3 activity. The biosensor demonstrated shortened response time, higher sensitivity, and prolonged functional shelf life in detecting caspase-3 compared to existing counterparts. Additionally, the biosensor was used to evaluate the effect of various drugs on inducing apoptosis in HeLa and MCF-7 tumor cells and inhibiting Zika virus invasion.
SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vera Belousova, Oxana Svitich, Elena Timokhina, Irina Ignatko, Irina Bogomazova, Svetlana Pesegova, Tatiana Silaeva, Tatiana Kuzmina, Oxana Skorobogatova
Summary: This article presents the hypothesis that premature placenta apoptosis could be a potential cause of preterm birth, supported by evaluating gene expression. The study found that during pregnancy, the expression of apoptosis-related genes in the placenta is low, but the expression of the apoptosis inhibitor XIAP is high. However, at the onset of preterm labor, the expression of apoptosis-related genes increases significantly, potentially initiating preterm birth.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Filipa Mota, Camilo A. Ruiz-Bedoya, Elizabeth W. Tucker, Daniel P. Holt, Patricia De Jesus, Martin A. Lodge, Clara Erice, Xueyi Chen, Melissa Bahr, Kelly Flavahan, John Kim, Mary Katherine Brosnan, Alvaro A. Ordonez, Charles A. Peloquin, Robert F. Dannals, Sanjay K. Jain
Summary: This study examines the penetration of Pretomanid, an antibiotic for drug-resistant tuberculosis, into the central nervous system. The findings show that Pretomanid has excellent penetration into the CNS, but bedaquiline and linezolid have limited penetration, leading to less efficacy in treating TB meningitis. These results have important implications for developing new antibiotic treatments for TB meningitis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jiajun Liu, Fangzheng Wu, Minghui Wang, Menglin Tao, Zhengjie Liu, Zijuan Hai
Summary: A tumor-targeted fluorescent/photoacoustic probe was developed to monitor the activity of Caspase-3 in vivo. The probe could enter and accumulate in tumor cells, resulting in increased fluorescence and photoacoustic signals. This study provides a new method for clinical imaging of tumor apoptosis.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Asal Moradi, Mohammadreza Abdihaji, Sara Barari Kouchaksaraie, Tabarek Abdulrazaq Alkinani, Aida Mahmoudi, Arash Davoudi, William Dashtmiani, Somayeh Mikaeili Ghezeljeh, Shahrzad Aghajani, Reza Ghasemian, Somayeh Maghsoomi Taramsari, Amitis Majlesi, Zahra Mahdavi Niyaki, Ali Salehzadeh
Summary: The study aimed to fabricate Bi2O3/Gln-TSC nanoparticles and investigate their anticancer mechanism. The results showed that Bi2O3/Gln-TSC had significant cytotoxicity against prostate cancer cells and induced apoptosis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rosa Manca, Monia Delia, Marianna Abate, Silvia Zappavigna, Sergio Papa, Chester Glomski, Alessandra Pica
Summary: Apoptosis, programmed cell death, plays a central role in haematopoiesis. This study investigates the expression and subcellular distribution of Bcl-2, Bcl-X-L, and Bax proteins in nucleated erythrocytes and the effect of X-ray irradiation on these cells. The results demonstrate the role of these proteins in the maturation of erythrocytes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthias Kist, Domagoj Vucic
Summary: In recent years, research has identified various forms of cell death, each relying on different proteins for activation. Many pathways share components and signaling principles, working together rather than independently. Several cell death regulators are linked to human diseases and may be potential therapeutic targets.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aleksandra Mielczarek-Palacz, Sylwia Jasinska, Anna Strzelec
Summary: Ovarian cancer is a major issue in gynecological oncology, and research on diagnostic markers like caspase-3, -8, and -9 is ongoing. This study found significantly decreased levels of these caspases in ovarian cancer patients compared to healthy controls, suggesting a link to immune system disturbances and potential for future diagnostic use, pending further research.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hai-Dong Xu, Xiaotong Cheng, Xianbao Sun, Peiyao Chen, Wenjun Zhan, Xiaoyang Liu, Xinliang Wang, Bing Hu, Gaolin Liang
Summary: A self-assembling probe for apoptosis imaging was designed, which underwent a Caspase-3 cleavage and CBT-Cys click reaction to form Gd nanoparticles. This probe achieved enhanced MR imaging of apoptosis in vitro, in apoptotic cells, and in zebrafish.
Article
Cell Biology
Yingda L. Xie, Veronique R. de Jager, Ray Y. Chen, Lori E. Dodd, Praveen Paripati, Laura E. Via, Dean Follmann, Jing Wang, Keith Lumbard, Saher Lahouar, Stephanus T. Malherbe, Jenna Andrews, Xiang Yu, Lisa C. Goldfeder, Ying Cai, Kriti Arora, Andre G. Loxton, Naadira Vanker, Michael Duvenhage, Jill Winter, Taeksun Song, Gerhard Walzl, Andreas H. Diacon, Clifton E. Barry
Summary: Early bactericidal activity studies in individuals with tuberculosis (TB) monitor daily sputum bacterial counts during experimental drug treatment, providing critical information for the development of new TB drugs. Radiological responses to drug treatment using [F-18]FDG-PET/CT imaging can offer comparative measures of single and combination drug activity that correlate closely with clinical outcomes. Rifampicin-containing drug combinations were most effective in reducing lung lesion volume and associated inflammation, while moxifloxacin did not outperform rifampicin in PET/CT imaging, consistent with recent phase 3 clinical trial results. Synergy was observed between isoniazid and pyrazinamide, with pyrazinamide showing activity limited to lung lesions.
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Viktoria Pevna, Mariana Macajova, Andrej Hovan, Gregor Bano, Majlinda Meta, Boris Bilcik, Julia Palkova, Veronika Huntosova
Summary: This study used spheroid models to simulate tumor tissue and demonstrated the reliability and applicability of these models in studying the response and effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT). The findings are important for further research in PDT.
Review
Biology
Sanna Huda, Bethany Chau, Chuanqi Chen, Herman Somal, Neiloy Chowdhury, Nicola Cirillo
Summary: The study indicates that caspase activation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris, but most in vivo studies assessing caspase inhibition in PV models have a high risk of bias. Further research is needed to confirm the efficacy of caspase inhibitors in preventing PV-induced blistering in vivo.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianguo Lin, Dingyao Gao, Shijie Wang, Gaochao Lv, Xiuting Wang, Chunmei Lu, Ying Peng, Ling Qiu
Summary: In this paper, a stimuli-responsive bioorthogonal reaction scaffold (SF) was reported for controlling in situ self-assembly. By integrating different substrates, two radioactive PET tracers with high stability and clear tumor PET signal were designed to detect enzyme activity.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Eric O. Aboagye, Tara D. Barwick, Uwe Haberkorn
Summary: Theranostics is a rapidly evolving field of medicine that combines diagnosis and treatment using similar tools. It offers the potential for high therapeutic efficacy with minimal toxicity. In oncology, theranostics relies on the identification of unique proteins and factors expressed in cancer cells, advances in imaging technology, and targeted chemicals and nanodevices for imaging and therapy. Radiotheranostics, using radiopharmaceuticals, is becoming routine in prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. Although not all patients benefit from radiotheranostics, those who do often show high response rates.
CA-A CANCER JOURNAL FOR CLINICIANS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Mandeep Kaur, Ritesh Thakare, Arindom Bhattacherya, Prem Anand Murugan, Grace Kaul, Manjulika Shukla, Alok Kr. Singh, Saravanan Matheshwaran, Sidharth Chopra, Jitendra K. K. Bera
Summary: Three platinum(II)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial activity against clinically relevant human pathogens. Compound 1 showed superior activity compared to compounds 2 and 3 against the Gram-positive S. aureus pathogen. It displayed concentration-dependent bactericidal activity, eradicated preformed S. aureus biofilm, and synergized with other antibiotics for combinatorial antimicrobial therapy.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Thomas Talbot, Haonan Lu, Eric O. Aboagye
Summary: High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma is characterized by universal TP53 mutations and widespread copy number alterations, including deletion of tumor suppressors and amplification of driver oncogenes. Amplified driver genes have been proposed as therapeutic targets. However, lack of validation and variable experimental procedures hinder clinical translation. This review collates candidate amplified therapeutic targets in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and quantitatively appraises the evidence for each gene.
CANCER GENE THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Mitchell Chen, Haonan Lu, Susan J. Copley, Yidong Han, Andrew Logan, Patrizia Viola, Alessio Cortellini, David J. Pinato, Danielle Power, Eric O. Aboagye
Summary: This study developed a radiomic-based signature for predicting disease response in patients with NSCLC undergoing PD-1 or PD-L1 immunotherapy. The radiomic signature was validated in two independent testing cohorts and demonstrated good prediction of treatment response and prognosis.
JOURNAL OF THORACIC ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Stefanie Krug, Pankaj Prasad, Shiqi Xiao, Shichun Lun, Camilo A. A. Ruiz-Bedoya, Mariah Klunk, Alvaro A. A. Ordonez, Sanjay K. K. Jain, Geetha Srikrishna, Igor Kramnik, William R. R. Bishai
Summary: Despite advances in TB drug development, multidrug resistance remains a major challenge for global TB control. Host-directed therapies, such as inhibition of the integrated stress response (ISR), have the potential to improve the efficacy of tuberculosis antibiotics. In this study, we evaluated the impact of ISR inhibition on bacterial clearance, relapse, and lung pathology in a mouse model of TB. Our findings suggest that adjunctive ISR inhibition can accelerate bacterial clearance, reduce relapse rates, and improve lung health.
Article
Cell Biology
Haonan Lu, Hantao Lou, Georg Wengert, Reema Paudel, Naina Patel, Saral Desai, Bill Crum, Kristofer Linton-Reid, Mitchell Chen, Dongyang Li, Jacey Ip, Francesco Mauri, David J. Pinato, Andrea Rockall, Susan J. Copley, Sadaf Ghaem-Maghami, Eric O. Aboagye
Summary: This study confirms that the presence of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is associated with better progression-free survival (PFS). TLS is linked to B cell maturation and activation of cytotoxic tumor-specific T cells in HGSOC tumors. Copy-number loss of genes IL15 and CXCL10 may hinder TLS formation in HGSOC, and a list of dysregulated genes affecting TLS function is proposed. A radiomics-based signature is developed to predict TLS presence, which independently predicts PFS in HGSOC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Overall, this study reveals the role of TLS in coordinating immune responses in HGSOC and how the cancer genome evolves to counteract TLS formation.
CELL REPORTS MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Benjamin Hunter, Christos Argyros, Marianna Inglese, Kristofer Linton-Reid, Ilaria Pulzato, Andrew G. Nicholson, Samuel V. Kemp, Pallav L. Shah, Philip L. Molyneaux, Cillian Mcnamara, Toby Burn, Emily Guilhem, Marcos Mestas Nunez, Julia Hine, Anika Choraria, Prashanthi Ratnakumar, Susannah Bloch, Simon Jordan, Simon Padley, Carole A. Ridge, Graham Robinson, Hasti Robbie, Joseph Barnett, Mario Silva, Sujal Desai, Richard W. Lee, Eric O. Aboagye, Anand Devaraj
Summary: This study developed a radiomics model to assist in the diagnosis of lung cancer. By extracting radiomics features and using clustering methods, patients were stratified into different risk groups. The model showed high accuracy in predicting malignancy and has potential clinical applications.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Shahriar Islam, Marianna Inglese, Matthew Grech-Sollars, Preetha Aravind, Suraiya Dubash, Tara D. Barwick, Kevin O'Neill, James Wang, Azeem Saleem, James O'Callaghan, Giulio Anchini, Matthew Williams, Adam Waldman, Eric O. Aboagye
Summary: MRI and PET are used in neuro-oncology to detect and characterize malignant lesions. In this study, the uptake of FPIA in brain tumors was investigated using PET/MRI.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Andrea G. Rockall, Xingfeng Li, Nicholas Johnson, Ioannis Lavdas, Shalini Santhakumaran, A. Toby Prevost, Shonit Punwani, Vicky Goh, Tara D. Barwick, Nishat Bharwani, Amandeep Sandhu, Harbir Sidhu, Andrew Plumb, James Burn, Aisling Fagan, Georg J. Wengert, Dow-Mu Koh, Krystyna Reczko, Qi Dou, Jane Warwick, Xinxue Liu, Christina Messiou, Nina Tunariu, Peter Boavida, Neil Soneji, Edward W. Johnston, Christian Kelly-Morland, Katja N. De Paepe, Heminder Sokhi, Kathryn Wallitt, Amish Lakhani, James Russell, Miriam Salib, Sarah Vinnicombe, Adam Haq, Eric O. Aboagye, Stuart Taylor, Ben Glocker
Summary: The study aimed to develop a machine learning algorithm to improve radiologists' sensitivity and specificity for metastasis detection in whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI). The results showed that using the algorithm can enhance the detection accuracy and reduce reading times for radiologists.
INVESTIGATIVE RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stanislav S. Piletsky, Ekaterina Baidyuk, Elena V. Piletska, Larissa Lezina, Konstantin Shevchenko, Donald J. L. Jones, Thong H. Cao, Rajinder Singh, Alan C. Spivey, Eric O. Aboagye, Sergey A. Piletsky, Nickolai A. Barlev
Summary: Molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) have shown potential as an alternative to antibodies in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Targeting intracellular epitopes can modulate protein function, making them a new tool for cancer therapy.
Article
Oncology
Mitchell Chen, Susan J. Copley, Patrizia Viola, Haonan Lu, Eric O. Aboagye
Summary: Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, can be captured non-invasively on medical imaging as radiomic features, which can be used in an artificial intelligence paradigm to predict clinical outcomes and improve patient care. Compared to tissue sampling-driven approaches, radiomics-based methods are superior for being non-invasive, reproducible, cheaper, and less susceptible to intra-tumoral heterogeneity.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Preetha Aravind, Sanjay Popat, Tara D. Barwick, Neil Soneji, Mark Lythgoe, Katherina B. Sreter, Jingky P. Lozano-Kuehne, Mattias Bergqvist, Neva Patel, Eric O. Aboagye, Laura M. Kenny
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the early drug action of the antifolate drug pemetrexed on thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibition using F-18-FLT PET/CT imaging. The results showed that patients who exhibited changes in the imaging biomarker had a better therapy response and longer overall survival. These findings suggest the potential use of F-18-FLT PET/CT in understanding the basis of drug action in studies involving TS inhibitors.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jin Hui Teh, Ala Amgheib, Ruisi Fu, Chris Barnes, Joel Abrahams, Ali Ashek, Ning Wang, Zixuan Yang, Muneera Mansoorudeen, Nicholas J. J. Long, Eric O. O. Aboagye
Summary: C-Met, a receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed in various cancer types, has potential as a biomarker for cancer imaging and therapy. This study synthesized and evaluated an [F-18]AlF-labelled analogue, [F-18]AlF-EMP-105, for c-Met imaging using positron emission tomography. In vitro evaluation showed high specificity of [F-18]AlF-EMP-105 for c-Met-expressing cells. PET imaging in mice demonstrated renal clearance of the tracer predominantly as [F-18]fluoride. [F-18]AlF-EMP-105 shows promise as a diagnostic tool for imaging cancer due to its high specificity for c-Met expressing cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Reza Kalantar, Sumeet Hindocha, Benjamin Hunter, Bhupinder Sharma, Nasir Khan, Dow-Mu Koh, Merina Ahmed, Eric O. O. Aboagye, Richard W. W. Lee, Matthew D. D. Blackledge
Summary: Researchers developed a contrast-based CT image synthesis method to address the contrast heterogeneity issue in real-world datasets and evaluated its performance in COVID-19 research. The results showed that while the generated images demonstrated realism in human assessment, caution is advised when using GAN-synthesized images in medical imaging applications.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zixuan Yang, Chris Barnes, Juozas Domarkas, Joanna Koch-Paszkowski, John Wright, Ala Amgheib, Isaline Renard, Ruisi Fu, Stephen Archibald, Eric O. Aboagye, Louis Allott
Summary: Sulfur-[F-18]fluoride exchange radiochemistry is a rapid and convenient method for incorporating fluorine-18 into biologically active molecules. We reported a fully automated radiolabelling procedure using the GE FASTLab(TM) cassette-based platform to synthesize a [F-18]SO3F-bearing prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted ligand ([F-18](5)), which showed favorable biodistribution and pharmacokinetic profiles correlated with PSMA expression.
REACTION CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
