14309 results for ""Pennsylvania+German"+ACS+study+'Socius'+open+access"

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• Phase 1 CX-5461 Trial (Canadian Cancer Trials Group Trial IND.231)

  CX-5461 is a G-quadruplex stabilizer that exhibits synthetic lethality in homologous recombination (HR) deficient models. In this multicentre Phase Ib trial in patients with solid tumors, 40 patients were treated across 10 dose levels (50 - 650 mg/m2) to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D), and evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics. Defective HR was explored as a predictive biomarker. CX-5461 was generally well tolerated, with a RP2D of 475 mg/m2 d1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks, and dose limiting toxicities of phototoxicity. Responses were observed in 10% of patients, primarily in patients with defective HR (ORR 14%). Reversion mutations in PALB2 and BRCA2 were detected on progression following initial response in germline carriers, confirming the underlying synthetic lethal mechanism. In vitro characterization of UV sensitization showed this toxicity is related to the CX-5461 chemotype, independent of G4 synthetic lethality. These results establish clinical proof-of-concept for this first-in class G4 stabilizer.

  Study EGAS00001006173

• MutWP5__CRUK_Mutographs_of_Cancer__Cancer_Mastectomy__Exome__Novaseq_

  Cancer is a genetic disease caused by an accumulation of mutations, however many of these mutations have been identified in pathologically normal tissue. We aim to use laser-capture microscopy (LCM) to sample individual clones from breast tissue to identify whether cancer-associated mutations appear in this normal tissue, assess the mutational burden present, and identify the mutational processes causing these mutations. We will sample from a wide age range of individuals (<20 to >60 years old) to determine whether these processes differ in pre- and post-menopausal women. We will also be comparing the tissue from healthy individuals (samples from breast reduction surgery) to those at elevated risk of breast cancer (mastectomy from BRCA1/2 patients) and those who have breast cancer (adjacent normal, distal normal, and tumour tissue from mastectomy). This will allow us to determine how these processes are different between these groups of individuals, and gain insight into the earliest stages of tumor development.

  Study EGAS00001003528

• The immunopeptidome landscape associated with T cell infiltration, inflammation and immune-editing in lung cancer

  One key barrier for improving efficacy of cancer immunotherapy remains patient stratification. While patients with CD3+CD8+ T cell inflamed ‘hot’ tumors typically show better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, it is still unknown if the repertoire of HLA bound peptides (HLAp) presented in ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ tumors is substantially different. We surveyed 61 tumor regions and adjacent non-malignant lung tissues from eight lung cancer patients and performed deep antigen discovery combining immunopeptidomics, genomics, bulk and spatial transcriptomics and explored the heterogenic expression and presentation of tumor (neo)antigens. We associated diverse immune cell populations with the immunopeptidome in CD3+CD8+ T cell excluded, infiltrated, hot and cold tumors and found evidence for lack of immune-editing and higher presentation efficiency of tumor antigens in cold and CD3+CD8+ T cell excluded tumors. This could have implications for the choice of combination therapies tailored to the patient’s mutanome and microenvironment.

  Study EGAS00001006298

• Arriba: accurate and efficient detection of gene fusions from RNA-Seq (H021)

  The identification of gene fusions from RNA sequencing data is a routine task in cancer research and precision oncology. However, despite the availability of many computational tools, fusion detection remains challenging. Existing methods suffer from poor prediction accuracy and are computationally demanding. We developed Arriba, a novel fusion detection algorithm with high sensitivity and short runtime. When applied to a large collection of published pancreatic cancer samples (n=803), Arriba identified a variety of driver fusions, many of which affected druggable proteins, including ALK, BRAF, FGFR2, NRG1, NTRK1, NTRK3, RET, and ROS1. The fusions were significantly associated with KRAS wild-type tumors and involved proteins stimulating the MAPK signaling pathway, suggesting that they substitute for activating mutations in KRAS. In addition, we confirmed the transforming potential of two novel fusions, RRBP1-RAF1 and RASGRP1-ATP1A1, in cellular assays. These results demonstrate Arriba’s utility in both basic cancer research and clinical translation.

  Study EGAS00001003554

• Widespread hypertranscription in aggressive human cancers

  Cancers are often defined by the dysregulation of specific transcriptional programs; however, the importance of global transcriptional changes is less understood. Hypertranscription is the genome-wide increase in RNA output. Hypertranscription’s prevalence, underlying drivers and prognostic significance are undefined in primary human cancer. This is due in part to limitations of expression profiling methods, which assume equal RNA output between samples. Here, we developed a computational method to directly measure hypertranscription in 7,494 human tumors, spanning 31 cancer types. Hypertranscription is ubiquitous across cancer, especially in aggressive disease. It defines patient subgroups with worse survival, even within well-established subtypes. Our data suggest that loss of transcriptional suppression underpins the hypertranscriptional phenotype. Single-cell analysis reveals hypertranscriptional clones, which dominate transcript production regardless of their size. Finally, patients with hypertranscribed mutations have improved response to immune checkpoint therapy. Our results provide fundamental insights into gene dysregulation across human cancers and may prove useful in identifying patients that would benefit from novel therapies.

  Study EGAS00001006365

• Resolving the immune landscape of human prostate at a single cell level in health and cancer

  The prostate gland produces prostatic fluid, high in zinc and citrate and essential for the maintenance of spermatozoa. Prostate cancer is a common condition with limited treatment efficacy in castration-resistant metastatic disease, including with immune checkpoint inhibitors. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing to perform an unbiased assessment of the cellular landscape of human prostate and identified a previously unappreciated subset of tumour-enriched androgen receptor-negative luminal epithelial cells, with increased expression of cancer-associated genes. We also found a variety of innate and adaptive immune cells in normal prostate that were transcriptionally perturbed in prostate cancer. An exception was a unique, prostate-specific, zinc transporter-expressing macrophage population (MAC-MT), that contributed to tissue zinc accumulation in homeostasis, but showed enhanced inflammatory gene expression in tumours, including T cell-recruiting chemokines. Remarkably, enrichment of the MAC-MT signature in cancer biopsies was associated with improved disease-free survival, suggesting beneficial anti-tumour functions.

  Study EGAS00001005787

• Massively parallel single-cell B-cell receptor sequencing enables rapid discovery of diverse antigen-reactive antibodies

  Using high-throughput single-cell B-cell receptor sequencing (scBCR-seq) we obtained accurately paired full-length heavy- and light-chain variable regions from thousands of individual B cells in a massively parallel fashion. We sequenced more than 250,000 B cells from rat, mouse and human repertoires to characterize their lineages and expansion. In addition, we immunized rats with chicken ovalbumin and profiled antigen-reactive B cells from lymph nodes of immunized animals. The scBCR-seq data recovered 81% (n = 56/69) of B-cell lineages identified from hybridomas generated from the same set of B cells that were subjected to scBCR-seq. Importantly, scBCR-seq identified an additional 710 candidate lineages that were not recovered as hybridomas. We synthesized, expressed and tested 93 clones from the identified lineages and found that 99% (n = 92/93) of the clones were antigen-reactive. Our results establish scBCR-seq as a powerful tool for antibody discovery.

  Study EGAS00001003663

• Molecular Profiling Reveals Unique Immune and Metabolic Features of Melanoma Brain Metastases

  There is a critical need to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of -melanoma brain metastases (MBM). Thus, we performed RNA sequencing on 88 resected MBMs and 42 patient-matched extracranial metastases; tumors with sufficient tissue also underwent whole-exome sequencing, T-cell receptor sequencing, and IHC. MBMs demonstrated heterogeneity of immune infiltrates that correlated with prior radiation and post-craniotomy survival. Comparison with patient-matched extracranial metastases identified significant immunosuppression and enrichment of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in MBMs. Gene-expression analysis of intracranial and subcutaneous xenografts, and a spontaneous MBM model, confirmed increased OXPHOS gene expression in MBMs, which was also detected by direct metabolite profiling and [U-13C]-glucose tracing in vivo IACS-010759, an OXPHOS inhibitor currently in early-phase clinical trials, improved survival of mice bearing MAPK inhibitor-resistant intracranial melanoma xenografts and inhibited MBM formation in the spontaneous MBM model. The results provide new insights into the pathogenesis and therapeutic resistance of MBMs.

  Study EGAS00001003672

• Renal Cell Carcinoma Tumors From S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674) Whole Transcriptome Sequencing

  We report a comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of tumor samples from 171 patients at high risk for recurrent renal cell carcinoma post nephrectomy from the S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674). We identify gene expression signatures, including STRAC11 (derived from the sunitinib-treated population). The overlap in key elements captured in these gene expression signatures, which include genes representative of the tumor stroma microenvironment, regulatory T cell, and myeloid cells, suggests they are likely to be both prognostic and predictive of the anti-angiogenic effect in the adjuvant setting. These signatures also point to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for development in adjuvant renal cell carcinoma, such as MERTK and TDO2. Finally, our findings suggest that while anti-angiogenic adjuvant therapy might be important, it may not be sufficient to prevent recurrence and other factors such as immune response and that tumor environment may be of greater importance.

  Study EGAS00001006528

• Multimodal Epigenetic Sequencing Analysis (MESA) of Cell-free DNA for Non-invasive Cancer Detection

  Multimodal characterization of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood can enable the sensitive and non-invasive detection of human cancers but remains technically challenging and costly. Here, we developed Multimodal Epigenetic Sequencing Analysis (MESA), a flexible and sensitive method of capturing and integrating multimodal epigenetic information of cfDNA using a single experimental assay, i.e., non-disruptive bisulfite-free methylation sequencing, such as Enzymatic Methyl-seq (EM-seq) and TET-assisted pyridine borane sequencing (TAPS). MESA can simultaneously infer cfDNA methylation, nucleosome occupancy, nucleosome fuzziness, and fragmentation profile for regions surrounding the promoters and polyadenylation sites (PASs). MESA’s integrated analysis of multimodal epigenetic features significantly improved the performance of cancer detection models compared to the usage of any single modality alone. MESA captures additional and highly complementary epigenetic information from cfDNA without additional experimental assays, highlighting the importance and clinical prospect of using multimodal epigenetic features for non-invasive cancer detection

  Study EGAS00001006462

• Whole Genome Sequencing on OCIAML-22

  Donor_OCIAML22_bulk: The donor (unsorted) that was used to generate OCI-AML22. OCI-AML22_bulk_1month_inVitro: The donor (unsorted) that was used to generate OCI-AML22 was expanded for 1 month in vitro, then sequenced. OCI-AML22_graft_CD34minus_WGS: The donor (unsorted) that was used to generate OCI-AML22 was expanded for 1 month in vitro, then injected in NSG-SGM3 mice. 21 weeks after injection, cells from 5 mice injected with 5 mice injected with 1475 cells per mice and 4 mice injected with 469 cells per mice were sorted. The human CD34- fraction was sequenced (CD45h+CD45m-7aad-annexinV-CD34-) OCI-AML22_graft_CD34positive_WGS: The donor (unsorted) that was used to generate OCI-AML22 was expanded for 1 month in vitro, then injected in NSG-SGM3 mice. 21 weeks after injection, cells from 5 mice injected with 5 mice injected with 1475 cells per mice and 4 mice injected with 469 cells per mice were sorted. The human CD34+ fraction was sequenced (CD45h+CD45m-7aad-annexinV-CD34+)

  Study EGAS00001006513

• Renal Cell Carcinoma Tumors From S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674) Exome Sequencing

  We report a comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic analysis of tumor samples from 171 patients at high risk for recurrent renal cell carcinoma post nephrectomy from the S-TRAC trial (NCT00375674). We identify gene expression signatures, including STRAC11 (derived from the sunitinib-treated population). The overlap in key elements captured in these gene expression signatures, which include genes representative of the tumor stroma microenvironment, regulatory T cell, and myeloid cells, suggests they are likely to be both prognostic and predictive of the anti-angiogenic effect in the adjuvant setting. These signatures also point to the identification of potential therapeutic targets for development in adjuvant renal cell carcinoma, such as MERTK and TDO2. Finally, our findings suggest that while anti-angiogenic adjuvant therapy might be important, it may not be sufficient to prevent recurrence and other factors such as immune response and that tumor environment may be of greater importance.

  Study EGAS00001006529

• Adult human kidney organoids originate from CD24+ cells and represent an advanced model for adult polycystic kidney disease

  Adult kidney organoids have been described as strictly tubular epithelial and termed tubuloids. While the cellular origin of tubuloids has remained elusive, here we report that they originate from a distinct CD24+ epithelial subpopulation. Long-term-cultured CD24+-derived tubuloids represent a functional human kidney tubule. We show that kidney tubuloids can be used to model the most common inherited kidney disease, namely autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), reconstituting the phenotypic hallmark of this disease with cyst formation. Single-cell RNA sequencing of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited PKD1 and PKD2 knockout tubuloids and human ADPKD and control tissue show similarities in upregulation of disease-driving genes. Furthermore, in a proof of concept, we demonstrate that tolvaptan, the only approved drug for ADPKD, shows a significant effect on cyst size in tubuloids but no effect in a pluripotent-stem-cell-derived model. Thus, tubuloids derive from a tubular epithelial subpopulation and represent an advanced model for ADPKD disease modeling.

  Study EGAS00001006551

• GRIDSS, PURPLE, LINX: Unscrambling the tumor genome via integrated analysis of structural variation and copy number

  We have developed a novel, integrated and comprehensive purity, ploidy, structural variant and copy number somatic analysis toolkit for whole genome sequencing data of paired tumor/normal samples. We show that the combination of using GRIDSS for somatic structural variant calling and PURPLE for somatic copy number alteration calling allows highly sensitive, precise and consistent copy number and structural variant determination, as well as providing novel insights for short structural variants and regions of complex local topology. LINX, an interpretation tool, leverages the integrated structural variant and copy number calling to cluster individual structural variants into higher order events and chains them together to predict local derivative chromosome structure. LINX classifies and extensively annotates genomic rearrangements including simple and reciprocal breaks, LINE, viral and pseudogene insertions, and complex events such as chromothripsis. LINX also comprehensively calls genic fusions including chained fusions. Finally, our toolkit provides novel visualisation methods providing insight into complex genomic rearrangements.

  Study EGAS00001004034

• The landscape of chromothripsis across adult cancer types

  Chromothripsis is a recently identified mutational phenomenon, by which a presumably single catastrophic event generates extensive genomic rearrangements of one or a few chromosome(s). Considered as an early event in tumour development, this form of genome instability plays a prominent role in tumour onset. Chromothripsis prevalence might have been underestimated when using low-resolution methods, and pan-cancer studies based on sequencing are rare. We analysed chromothripsis in 28 tumour types covering all major adult cancers (634 tumours, 316 whole-genome and 318 whole-exome sequences). We show that chromothripsis affects a substantial proportion of human cancers, with a prevalence of 49% across all cases. Chromothripsis generates entity-specific genomic alterations driving tumour development, including clinically relevant druggable fusions. Chromothripsis is linked with specific telomere patterns and univocal mutational signatures in distinct tumour entities. Longitudinal analysis of chromothriptic patterns in 24 matched tumour pairs reveals novel insights in the clonal evolution of tumours with chromothripsis. (H021)

  Study EGAS00001004250

• The Genetic Landscape of Ocular Adnexa MALT Lymphoma Reveals Frequent Aberrations in NFAT and MEF2B Signaling Pathways

  A comprehensive constellation of somatic non-silent mutations and copy number (CN) variations in ocular adnexa marginal zone lymphoma (OAMZL) is unknown. By utilizing whole-exome sequencing in 69 tumors we define the genetic landscape of OAMZL. Mutations and CN changes in CABIN1 (30%), RHOA (26%), TBL1XR1 (22%), and CREBBP (17%) and inactivation of TNFAIP3 (26%) were among the most common aberrations. Candidate cancer driver genes cluster in the B-cell receptor (BCR), NFkB, NOTCH and NFAT signaling pathways. One of the most commonly altered genes is CABIN1, a calcineurin inhibitor acting as a negative regulator of the NFAT and MEF2B transcriptional activity. CABIN1 deletions enhance BCR-stimulated NFAT and MEF2B transcriptional activity, while CABIN1 mutations enhance only MEF2B transcriptional activity by impairing binding of mSin3a to CABIN1. Our data provide an unbiased identification of genetically altered genes that may play a role in the molecular pathogenesis of OAMZL and serve as therapeutic targets.

  Study EGAS00001006631

• Multi-omics identify falling LRRC15 as a COVID-19 severity marker and persistent pro-thrombotic signals in convalescence

  Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are at high risk of severe COVID-19. Here, we perform longitudinal blood sampling of ESKD haemodialysis patients with COVID-19, collecting samples pre-infection, serially during infection, and after clinical recovery. Using plasma proteomics, and RNA-sequencing and flow cytometry of immune cells, we identify transcriptomic and proteomic signatures of COVID-19 severity, and find distinct temporal molecular profiles in patients with severe disease. Supervised learning reveals that the plasma proteome is a superior indicator of clinical severity than the PBMC transcriptome. We show that a decreasing trajectory of plasma LRRC15, a proposed co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2, is associated with a more severe clinical course. Strikingly, we observe that two months after the acute infection, patients still display dysregulated gene expression related to vascular, platelet and coagulation pathways, including PF4 (platelet factor 4), which may explain the prolonged thrombotic risk following COVID-19.

  Study EGAS00001006778

• Single-cell atlas of multiple myeloma and precursor diseases

  Single cell profiling of small cohorts of myeloma precursor disease patient samples including monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance and smoldering multiple myeloma have shown diverse evolutionary patterns and immune changes that occur early in the disease process. Using scRNAseq and scBCRseq in a large cohort of fifty-three patients with myeloma precursor disease in comparison with myeloma and normal donors we describe the early genomic drivers of malignant transformation and describe their divergent clonal expansion in hyperdiploid compared to non-hyperdiploid samples. We describe intra-patient heterogeneity with potential therapeutic implications as well as the distinct evolution patterns (linear/branching) from myeloma precursor disease to myeloma. Finally, we describe the unique adaptations of the microenvironment as a response to distinct genomic changes in myeloma cells. These results further our knowledge to characterize myeloma precursor disease evolution, inform individual patient progression risk stratification and identify potential biomarkers that could be clinically exploited.

  Study EGAS00001006694

• Malignant progression of an ancestral bone marrow clone harboring a CIC-NUTM2A fusion in isolated myeloid sarcoma

  Myeloid sarcoma is a rare condition consisting of extramedullary myeloid blasts found in association with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or, in the absence of bone marrow involvement. We identified an infant with isolated myeloid sarcoma whose bone marrow was negative for involvement by flow cytometry. Sequencing revealed the fusion oncogene CIC-NUTM2A and identified the sarcoma to be clonally evolved from the bone marrow which carried the fusion despite the absence of pathology. Murine modeling confirmed the ability of the fusion to transform hematopoietic cells and identified receptor tyrosine kinase signaling activation consistent with disruption of the CIC transcriptional repressor. These findings extend the definition of CIC-rearranged malignancies to include hematologic disease, provide insight into the mechanism of oncogenesis, and demonstrate the importance of molecular analysis and tracking of bone marrow involvement over the course of treatment in myeloid sarcoma, including patients that lack flow cytometric evidence of leukemia at diagnosis.

  Study EGAS00001006833

• WGS of MAPKi acquired resistant samples from patients and PDX models

  Blocking cancer genomic instability, which generates diverse variants that enable rapid adaptations, may prevent tumor escape from therapies. We show that, after MAPK inhibitor (MAPKi) therapy in patients and patient-derived xenografts, acquired-resistant genomes of metastatic cutaneous melanoma accumulate amplicons of resistance-driver, non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), and homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes within complex genomic rearrangements (CGRs) and extrachromosomal circular DNAs (ecDNAs). Also, chromothriptic genomic regions enrich for mutations and may engender ecDNAs and CGRs. Overall, somatic mutations within ecDNA- and CGR-amplicons enrich for HRR signatures, and, in acquired resistance, ecDNA (versus CGR) mutations enrich for APOBEC3 signatures. Breakpoint-sequence analysis suggests NHEJ as critical to double-stranded DNA break repair underlying CGR and ecDNA formation. In vivo, NHEJ-targeting by a DNA-PKCS inhibitor prevented acquired MAPKi-resistance by reducing the size of ecDNAs and CGRs early on combination treatment. Thus, targeting the cause(s), as opposed to the consequences, of genomic instability prevents acquired resistance.

  Study EGAS00001006874

• Multiome_HB

  Hepatoblastoma (HB) cells display strong phenotypic heterogeneity with a major impact on drug response, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we use a single-cell multi-omic strategy to unravel the molecular determinants of this plasticity. HB display a continuum of single-cell states between hepatocytic (scH), liver progenitor (scLP) and mesenchymal (scM) differentiation poles, with an intermediate scH/LP population bordering scLP and scH areas in spatial transcriptomics. Chromatin accessibility landscapes reveal the gene regulatory networks of each differentiation pole, and the sequence of transcription factor activation underlying cell state transitions. Single-cell mapping of somatic alterations reveals the clonal architecture of each tumor, showing that each genetic subclone displays its own range of cellular plasticity across differentiation poles. The most scLP subclones, overexpressing stem cell and DNA repair genes, proliferate faster after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. These results highlight how the interplay of clonal evolution and epigenetic plasticity shapes the potential of HB subclones to respond to chemotherapy.

  Study EGAS00001006932

• Single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics data for the sarcoidosis baseline project

  Granulomas are lumps of immune cells that can form in various organs. Most granulomas appear unstructured, yet they have some resemblance to lymphoid organ formation. To better understand granuloma formation, we performed single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics on granulomas from patients with sarcoidosis and bioinformatically reconstructed the underlying gene-regulatory networks. We discovered an immune stimulatory environment in granulomas that repurposed transcriptional programs associated with lymphoid organ development. Granuloma formation followed characteristic spatial patterns and involved genes linked to immunometabolism, cytokine and chemokine signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Three cell types emerged as key players in granuloma formation: metabolically reprogrammed macrophages, cytokine-producing Th17.1 cells, and fibroblasts with inflammatory and tissue remodeling phenotypes. Pharmacological inhibition of one of the identified processes attenuated granuloma formation in a sarcoidosis mouse model. We show that human granulomas adopt characteristic aspects of normal lymphoid organ development in aberrant combinations, indicating that granulomas constitute aberrant lymphoid organs.

  Study EGAS00001006970

• Neuroblastoma heterogeneity

  Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor characterized by strong clinical heterogeneity. Although certain complex genomic alterations, such as extrachromosomal DNA amplifications (ecDNA), are associated with adverse outcomes and have been recurrently detected in neuroblastomas, the mutational processes involved in their generation remain largely unclear. By examining the topography of complex rearrangements along with mutational signatures derived from all variant classes, we identify previously unrecognized co-occurring mutational footprints, which we termed mutational scenarios. We demonstrate that clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity is linked to differences in the processes driving these mutational scenarios. Whereas high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma genomes were characterized by signs of replication slippage and stress, homologous recombination-associated signatures defined high-risk non-MYCN-amplified patients. Non-high-risk neuroblastomas, on the other hand, were marked by footprints of chromosome missegregation and TOP1 mutational activity. This analysis provides a systematic perspective on the repertoire of mutational patterns that contribute to clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity.

  Study EGAS00001007016

• Neuroblastoma heterogeneity

  Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor characterized by strong clinical heterogeneity. Although certain complex genomic alterations, such as extrachromosomal DNA amplifications (ecDNA), are associated with adverse outcomes and have been recurrently detected in neuroblastomas, the mutational processes involved in their generation remain largely unclear. By examining the topography of complex rearrangements along with mutational signatures derived from all variant classes, we identify previously unrecognized co-occurring mutational footprints, which we termed mutational scenarios. We demonstrate that clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity is linked to differences in the processes driving these mutational scenarios. Whereas high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma genomes were characterized by signs of replication slippage and stress, homologous recombination-associated signatures defined high-risk non-MYCN-amplified patients. Non-high-risk neuroblastomas, on the other hand, were marked by footprints of chromosome missegregation and TOP1 mutational activity. This analysis provides a systematic perspective on the repertoire of mutational patterns that contribute to clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity.

  Study EGAS00001007019

• Single-cell RNA-seq of cervix and placenta

  Placental trophoblasts have been detected in cervical smears early in gestation, creating opportunities for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. However, trophoblast isolation is limited by the lack of a cell catalogue and molecular profile of cervical smears. To establish an atlas and to explore the potential of single-cell RNA-sequencing to detect cervical trophoblasts, 10,539 single-cell transcriptomes from 12 non-invasive exocervical smears from pregnant women were profiled. In addition, we characterized 34,565 cells from six placental biopsies. We uncovered a novel extravillous trophoblast cell subtype characterized by epithelial marker genes and reduced HLA-G expression. Integration of both cell atlases demonstrated surprisingly similar expression profiles between maternal epithelial cells and placental extravillous trophoblasts, indicating that these trophoblasts retained epithelial properties without an invasive mesenchymal phenotype. Additionally, differential expression analysis identified novel markers discriminating cervical and placental cell types. Those analyses may contribute to trophoblast discovery and isolation from cervical smears.

  Study EGAS00001007044