Onco Actu du 5 mars 2019

	1. BIOLOGIE
The sneaky way estrogen drives brain metastasis in non-estrogen-dependent breast cancers [University of Colorado Cancer Center] A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the journal Oncogene shows that while estrogen doesn’t directly affect triple-negative breast cancer cells, it can affect surrounding brain cells in ways that promote cancer cell migration and invasiveness. Importantly, the study also suggests ways to stop the activity of estrogen in the brain that fertilizes triple-negative breast cancer metastasis.
New cancer-preventing role found for DNA ‘cable tie’ [Institute of Cancer Research] “Our research has uncovered a new function for cohesin, showing that its role in repressing transcription at DNA breaks helps to prevent genome instability, and furthering our understanding of this incredibly important tumour suppressor.”
	1.4 BIOLOGIE - TECHNOS
Data science tool reveals molecular causes of disease, shows power in infant cancer analysis [Princeton University] The system, called Unveiling RNA Sample Annotation for Human Diseases, or URSA(HD), incorporates information about the activity of genes from publicly available records of about 8,000 biopsies taken from healthy and diseased tissues of thousands of patients. Going forward, researchers may submit new samples to the tool, via a web interface, and receive an analysis of possible associations with diseases and tissue types.
	2. ETIOLOGIE
A third cancer-causing impurity detected in U.S. supply of blood pressure drugs [Fierce Pharma] The FDA has been aggressively trying to cleanse the drug supply of the impurities after they were first discovered in valsartan last summer, and since also in losartan and irbesartan. That, however, has also led to shortages.
	3.1.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC - E-CIGS
Gas Stations, Walmart Top Culprits of Youth Tobacco Sales [Bloomberg] Agency says it’s considering ‘additional enforcement avenues’.
F.D.A. Criticizes Walgreens and Other Retailers for Selling Tobacco Products to Minors [NY Times] The agency said its undercover inspection program had turned up high rates of tobacco violations at numerous retailers. Illegal sales of cigarettes and e-cigarettes to young people were even higher at other national gas station and convenience store chains, the agency found, but it singled out Walgreens for its harshest criticism.
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on forceful new actions focused on retailers, manufacturers to combat youth access to e-cigarettes as part of FDA’s Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan [FDA] As illustrated by today’s actions, we’re using our compliance and enforcement tools as part of our work to combat the epidemic level of youth e-cigarette use we’re currently experiencing. But our work is not done. We also have studies underway, including investigations that FDA commissioned, to look at the potential for direct effects of harm from e-cigarettes on the lungs and other health factors.
	4.12 BIOPSIES LIQUIDES
Liquid biopsy: ‘classifier’ of metastatic breast cancer subgroups [VHIO] The authors analyzed a pooled of individual patient data from 18 cohorts, including 2436 patients with metastatic breast cancer. The threshold established for this sub-classification was 5 tumor cells per 7.5ml of blood. Patients with lower values were classified as indolent. Those with higher scorings, as aggressive.
WVU researchers pursue blood test for colorectal cancer [West Virginia University Cancer Institute] The blood test, which the Food and Drug Administration recently approved, looks for an abnormal gene called SEPT9 associated with colorectal cancer. During the study, 300 women across West Virginia will volunteer to have their blood drawn and tested for the gene.
New ways to detect cancer early will help pave the way for precision health [STAT] We developed the MagWIRE, a magnetic wire that attracts circulating cancer cells labeled with magnetic nanoparticles. Inserted into a vein for 10 to 20 minutes, it would be able to “scan” almost the entire blood volume for cancer cells and capture them, allowing for accurate measurement.
	4.2 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - GÉNOME
MGI Prepares to Sell Sequencers in North America, Europe; Announces Proprietary Sequencing Chemistry [Genome Web] By the end of this year, MGI Tech, the instrument division of China's BGI, hopes to be ready to compete with Illumina, which has dominated the global sequencing market for years, on data quality, cost, and service in these territories.
Genomics Could Guide Pancreatic Cancer Treatment [University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine] The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, involved sifting through the genomes of thousands of tumors, sampled from all over the world. In 17 percent of cases, there was a genetic flag that indicated the tumor should be susceptible to existing chemotherapy drugs.
	4.7 DÉP., DIAG. & PRONO. - COL DE L'UTÉRUS
First TV campaign to urge women to undergo cervical smear tests as screening uptake hits record low [The Telegraph] Uptake of screening is now at a record low, with almost one in three women eligible for tests failing to do so, latest records show.
	5. TRAITEMENTS
Colon Cancer Patients Could Benefit From HER2 EGFR Non-Response Findings, Investigators Say [Genome Web] Published in late January in JCO Precision Oncology, the study concluded that HER2 amplification in RAS and RAF wild-type colorectal cancer is predictive of a lack of response to anti-EGFR drugs, enough so that these patients should potentially be considered for alternative clinical trials before anti-EGFR treatment.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Potential treatment strategy uncovered for pancreatic cancer [Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center] Their preclinical studies demonstrated the benefit of combining a treatment that forces the cells to rely more heavily on autophagy with another compound that can indirectly block that same energy pathway once they are reliant on it for fuel.
	5.12.2 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - CAR-T, THÉRAPIES CELLULAIRES
Off-the-shelf CAR-T and gene-editing player Precision Bio files $100M IPO [Fierce Biotech] Precision is built around Arcus, a one-step genome editing platform that uses a synthetic mimic of the homing endonucleases found in nature to make insertions, deletions or other edits to DNA. The biotech thinks its approach is more specific than competing gene-editing technologies like CRISPR, TALEN and zinc finger nucleases with a lower risk of off-target activity and will open up new opportunities in CAR-T as well as gene-modifying therapies.
Precision Bio Preps IPO to Test “Off-the-Shelf” Cancer Cell Therapy [Xconomy] Precision Bio’s most advanced therapeutic candidate, PBCAR0191, is a cell therapy developed to target the cancer protein CD19. The Precision Bio drug is a CAR-T therapy, a type of immunotherapy in which T cells are engineered to recognize cancer cells so that the immune cells can kill them.
	5.12.6 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - AMM
European Medicines Agency Adopts Positive Opinion for Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) for Six-Week Dosing Schedule Across All Current Monotherapy Indications [Merck] The CHMP positive opinion supports a new recommended dose of 400 mg every six weeks (Q6W) delivered as an intravenous infusion over 30 minutes for KEYTRUDA monotherapy.
	5.2 PHARMA
Bayer submits darolutamide for marketing authorization in Japan [Bayer] Regulatory submission based on positive data from Phase III ARAMIS study.
	5.3.4 TRAITEMENTS - AMM (FDA, EMA,...)
EMA Recommends an Extension of Indications for Olaparib [ESMO] New indication concerns treatment of adult patients with germline BRCA1/2-mutations, who have HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
	6. LUTTE CONTRE LES CANCERS
Attacking ‘Invisible Threat’ that Affects Cancer Care Workers [University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center] Exposure to chemotherapy can create hazards for nurses, pharmacists as they deliver lifesaving care to patients, but use of protective devices remains low.
	6.3 ASSOCIATIONS/FONDATIONS
Big Pharma Gave Money To Patient Advocacy Groups Opposing Medicare Changes [KHN] Dozens of patient advocacy groups, like the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, recently appeared in national advertisements objecting to a Trump administration proposal that could limit drugs covered by Medicare providers. But a Kaiser Health News analysis found that about half of the groups representing patients have received funding from the pharmaceutical industry.
	6.7.1 IA/BIOINFORMATIQUE
Getting smart about artificial intelligence [Wellcome Sanger Institute] Though the concept of machine learning has been around since the 1960s, it’s only in the last 10 years that it’s really been applied in genomics. Three factors have converged allowing its potential to be realised – the algorithms are sophisticated enough, the data sets needed to train the algorithms now exist, and the computing power to train those algorithms exists.