Onco Actu du 22 mars 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
Could the bacteria in our gut help treat cancer? [Cancer Research UK] A final, intriguing complication in understanding the gut microbiome is that it varies between nations. Luckily, a previous Grand Challenge project has collected tumour samples from around the world, offering precious insight into the different microbiomes.
	1.1 BIOLOGIE - GÈNES
Glioblastoma Driver Mutations Appear Long Before Diagnosis, Evolutionary Analysis Suggests [Genome Web] "In contrast to this common early path," the authors reported in Cancer Cell today, "relapsed tumors acquired no stereotypical pattern of mutations and typically regrew from oligoclonal origins, suggesting sparse selective pressure by therapeutic measures."
The evolution of brain tumors [DKFZ] Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center found in a recent study that only three different genetic alterations drive the early development of malignant glioblastomas. At least one of these three cancer drivers was present in all tumors investigated. However, it is the activation of telomerase that leads to rapid growth.
	2.11 ETIOLOGIE - ALIMENTATION
Drinking very hot tea linked with risk of 1 type of oesophageal cancer [NHS Choices] The cancer is very rare. Even in this high-risk population, where drinking very hot tea is extremely common, only 0.6% developed oesophageal cancer. Even though hot tea drinking could raise risk, the absolute risk increase would be from less than 1% to 1.2%.
The corn syrup in a soda a day can give mice bigger colon tumors [Science] Although it’s not clear that humans would react the same way as the rodents, researchers who conducted the new work say their results could help explain a recent rise in colon cancer in young adults—and might even point to ways to treat the disease.
	4. DÉPISTAGE, DIAGNOSTIC ET PRONOSTIC
The Role of Disease Label in Patient Perceptions and Treatment Decisions in the Setting of Low-Risk Malignant Neoplasms [JAMA Oncology] The cancer disease label may lead to overtreatment of low-risk malignant neoplasms owing to a patient’s emotional response or misunderstanding of prognosis. Decision making should be driven by risks and benefits of treatment and prognosis rather than disease label.
	4.11 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - OVAIRE
Detecting Cancer with a Herringbone Nanochip [NIH Director's Blog] Zeng’s team put their “lab-on-a-chip” to the test using blood samples from 20 patients with ovarian cancer and 10 age-matched controls. The chip was able to detect rapidly the presence of exosomal proteins known to be associated with ovarian cancer.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Illumina-Sponsored Study Finds Liquid Biopsy Complements Tissue-Based Genotyping in Lung Cancer [Genome Web] In Illumina's Actionable Genome Consortium study, the researchers concluded that cfDNA analysis is "not a replacement for histologic confirmation and immunohistochemistry from a diagnostic biopsy" and that the "data thus support a complementary role for plasma cfDNA NGS."
New U.K. Partnership Aims To Improve Access Immunotherapy For Cancer Patients [Forbes] They plan to shortly start testing their panel on blood samples from people with lung cancer enrolled into GeL's 100,000 genomes project with the first objective being to see if the mutations detected with their panel correlate with overall TMB.
	4.2 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - GÉNOME
Lack of Diversity in Genetic Datasets is Risky for Treating Disease [The Scientist] “The lack of ethnic diversity in human genomic studies means that our ability to translate genetic research into clinical practice or public health policy may be dangerously incomplete, or worse, mistaken.”
Roche launches NAVIFY Mutation Profiler and NAVIFY Therapy Matcher to support comprehensive genomic profiling in cancer [Navify] Clinical labs looking to develop or install NGS testing in-house today face a number of challenges. Among the greatest obstacles cited is the complexity of interpretation and the challenge of providing meaningful reporting to clinicians. NAVIFY Mutation Profiler empowers diagnostic labs to overcome these challenges by simplifying how labs report on their NGS tests.
	4.3 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - INDUSTRIELS
CRISPR Diagnostic Race Heats Up as Sherlock Bio Launches With $35M [Xconomy] For diagnostics, the CRISPR machinery uses enzymes to seek out a specific pathogen. The enzymes then snip DNA or RNA from a virus, for example, and the cuts generate a readable signal. The idea is this type of technology could lead to a diagnostic that could quickly detect a disease in a person’s blood, urine or saliva much faster and with less equipment than existing tests.
Feng Zhang, heavyweight collaborators unveil latest CRISPR upstart — a diagnostic company [EndPoints] Zhang and eight other leading experts in CRISPR, synthetic biology, diagnostics and infectious diseases have pulled back the curtain on Sherlock Biosciences, a startup aimed at providing “better, faster and more affordable” ways to detect genetic signatures of disease.
	4.7 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - COL DE L'UTÉRUS
Cervical screening: DIY smear test could be 'game-changer' [BBC News] The pilot scheme will see some women in north and east London given self-sampling kits from September. It comes as take-up of cervical screening in England hits a 20-year low, with concerns that embarrassment could make some people miss tests.
DIY smear tests may help combat falling cervical cancer screening rates [The Guardian] NHS England pilot scheme of ‘self-sample’ kits will allow women to test for HPV at home.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Mount Sinai and IBM Researchers Uncover Key to Greater Efficacy in Cancer Treatment [Mount Sinai] In a Nature Communications paper published today, researchers reveal for the first time that the number of mitochondria in a cell is, in great part, associated with how the cancer responds to drug therapy.
	5.12 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES
Immunotherapy of precancerous skin lesions may prevent squamous cell carcinoma [Mass. General Hospital] In their paper being published online in JCI Insight, a team led by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigator reports that treatment with the combination of two FDA-approved drugs – a topical chemotherapy and an immune-system-activating compound – reduced the risk of SCC development on the face and scalp by almost 75 percent.
Study points to new strategy for boosting immunotherapy effectiveness in advanced colorectal cancer [MD Anderson Cancer Center] Findings from the study, published in the March 21 online issue of Cancer Cell, shows how KRAS, a key mutation in colorectal cancer, promotes metastasis by controlling the immune-suppressive capabilities of the tumor microenvironment.
	5.2 PHARMA
GSK announces further positive data from DREAMM-1 study of anti-BCMA antibody-drug conjugate in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma [GSK] Median progression-free survival extends to twelve months.
Hard-charging GSK research chief Hal Barron touts improved anti-BCMA data, aiming for fast applications [EndPoints] GlaxoSmithKline R&D chief Hal Barron touted a fresh set of updated data on their anti-BCMA antibody drug conjugate GSK2857916, pointing to a solid 60% response rate from their DREAMM-1 study on multiple myeloma.
	5.2.1 PHARMA - PARTENARIATS
Celgene taps Exscientia’s AI drug discovery tech for 3 new programs [Fierce Biotech] The platform consists of two main parts: a data integration engine and an automated modeling and active learning engine, he said. The engine designs new molecules and assesses them for their potency, selectivity and ability to bind to specific targets and uses a rapid “design-make-test” cycle to quickly alter candidates toward the desired criteria.
Celgene and Exscientia Enter 3-Year AI Drug Discovery Collaboration Focused On Accelerating Drug Discovery In Oncology And Autoimmunity [Exscientia] Exscientia will use its cutting-edge Centaur Chemist™ AI drug discovery platform, which has demonstrated its unparalleled capabilities on multiple projects and its ability to reduce the timelines by at least three-quarters to discover pre-clinical drug candidates.
Faster, cheaper, better? Post-buyout deal Celgene jumps into AI alliance with a $25 million bet on speeding discovery work [EndPoints] The AI player’s boast is that they can take you through concept to hit discovery and lead identification in 12 months or less — which they say they’ve done 4 times now. The first 3 were bispecifics, not easy to do, the CEO adds.
	5.2.3 PHARMA - ÉCONOMIE
Shanghai-based cancer drugmaker Abbisko lines up $42M B round as it makes a leap for the clinic [EndPoints] The focus is on cancers prevalent among Asian populations — and offering either first- or best-in-class products.
	5.3 TRAITEMENTS - FDA, EMA, NICE...
FDA warns doctors, myeloma patients of doubled death risk from AbbVie, Roche's Venclexta [Fierce Pharma] AbbVie and Roche—which are both counting on Venclexta to deliver key revenue as their older players come under biosimilar attack—are hoping their myeloma trials don’t go the way of Merck’s, which the FDA scuttled completely after a group of study patients taking immuno-oncology blockbuster Keytruda saw an increased rate of death.
FDA Warns about the risks associated with the investigational use of Venclexta in Multiple Myeloma [FDA] This statement does not apply to patients taking Venclexta for an approved indication. Patients taking Venclexta for an approved indication should continue to take their medication as directed by their health care professional. Venclexta is safe and effective for its approved uses.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
It Will Take More Than Transparency To Reduce Drug Prices, Economists Say [NPR] HHS Secretary Azar says the U.S. price for a drug will still be higher than prices paid elsewhere and says he doubts any companies will stop selling their products in the huge U.S. market just because prices are lower than they are today.
	6. LUTTE CONTRE LES CANCERS
A monkey born from frozen testicular tissue offers fertility hope to pediatric cancer survivors [STAT] Researchers are concerned that transplanted testicular tissue, removed from a cancer patient before treatment, might harbor malignant cells that could reintroduce cancer into his body. For that reason, the procedure might not be recommended for patients who survived childhood leukemia, lymphoma, or testicular cancer.
'Baby Grady' gives fertility hope to boys with cancer [BBC News] Baby Grady is the first primate born using frozen samples of testicles taken before her dad started puberty. Experts said the technique, detailed in the journal Science, could soon be used in the clinic.
Advance offers new hope for fertility preservation in young boys with cancer [Washington Post] A researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development said the finding raises “a good bit of hope” that the technique can be developed for use in the lifetime of today’s boys.
	6.10 POLITIQUES
Gigantic EU research programme takes shape [Nature] Horizon Europe will fund a mix of academia–industry collaborations and discovery science — but its proposed budget of €100 billion has yet to be agreed.
	6.7.1 IA/BIOINFORMATIQUE
A.I. Can Improve Health Care. It Also Can Be Duped. [NY Times] The concern is less that hackers might cause patients to be misdiagnosed, although that potential exists. More likely is that doctors, hospitals and other organizations could manipulate the A.I. in billing or insurance software in an effort to maximize the money coming their way.
	6.9 CONTROVERSES
Time to say goodbye to “statistically significant” and embrace uncertainty, say statisticians [Retraction Watch] While some of the changes proposed in the Special Issue will take time to sort out and implement, the abandonment of statistical significance – and, for example, declarations that there is an effect or there is not an effect – should start right away. That alone will be an improvement in practice that will spur further improvements.
What Have We (Not) Learnt from Millions of Scientific Papers with P Values? [The American Statistician] Strong selection biases can make almost everything (seem) statistically significant and it is very likely that these biases do operate in many, probably most scientific fields that use P values, especially with lenient P < 0.05 thresholds for claiming success.