Decoding the Vaginal Microbiome

Summing up the ground-breaking work that researchers in the cell and gene therapy space are producing is easy if one follows the notion that “the most reliable way to predict the future is to create it.” In recent years, investigators have worked tirelessly to solve many of the fundamental challenges associated with these therapeutic modalities. Yet, innovation and success are an evolving process that address challenges during the drug discovery and development stages.

Tumor heterogeneity is a major hurdle for cancer treatment success. To effectively enroll patients in clinical trials, the identification of predictive biomarkers at the preclinical stage is crucial. The use of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models facilitates the identification of biomarkers that predict the tumor’s response to therapy. In addition, the assessment of PDX models on broad screening platforms such as 3D culture and in vivo mouse clinical trials (humanized and immunodeficient) accelerates compound evaluation. This webinar discusses the use of PDX models in preclinical drug development and the benefits of using this approach to clinical trial outcomes. Click below to view the slides of the presentation.

Soft tissue tumors are a broad group of neoplasms that involve the connective tissue of the body. Each year, over 13,000 people in the US are diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas and over 5,000 people succumb to the malignancy. Because soft tissue sarcomas are very ambiguous and amorphous, many time sarcomas are classified as an uncertain type. Advances in immunohistochemistry, as well as the utility of novel markers such as TFE3, TLE1, MyoD1, and MUC4, have aided pathologists in classifying these soft tissue tumors. This discussion will cover the key facts and statistics about soft tissue tumors and what role IHC plays in these difficult diagnoses.

In healthy tissue, a reservoir of stem cells gives rise to non-stem cells while simultaneously maintaining their own population. This enables potentially endless growth and recovery from damage. Cancer stem cells (CSC) sustain cancer growth in the same way as normal stem cells do in healthy tissues. They give rise to both CSC and non-CSC tumour cells, the latter which lack stemness but make up the bulk of a tumour. DNA damaging agents (radiation and chemotherapy) can stop tumour growth by killing non-CSC tumour cells but CSC are resistant to these treatments. Surviving CSC could cause cancer relapse and progression, resulting in higher rates of patient mortality. There is growing interest in developing treatments which are specifically effective against CSC.