Mayo Clinic Laboratory and pathology research roundup: March 22

By Chantell Canfield • March 22, 2022

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The research roundup provides an overview of the past week’s research from Mayo Clinic Laboratories consultants, including featured abstracts and a complete list of published studies and reviews.

Featured Abstract

A clinically compatible drug-screening platform based on organotypic cultures identifies vulnerabilities to prevent and treat brain metastasis.

We report a medium-throughput drug-screening platform (METPlatform) based on organotypic cultures that allows to evaluate inhibitors against metastases growing in situ. By applying this approach to the unmet clinical need of brain metastasis, we identified several vulnerabilities. Among them, a blood-brain barrier permeable HSP90 inhibitor showed high potency against mouse and human brain metastases at clinically relevant stages of the disease, including a novel model of local relapse after neurosurgery. Furthermore, in situ proteomic analysis applied to metastases treated with the chaperone inhibitor uncovered a novel molecular program in brain metastasis, which includes biomarkers of poor prognosis and actionable mechanisms of resistance. Our work validates METPlatform as a potent resource for metastasis research integrating drug-screening and unbiased omic approaches that is compatible with human samples. Thus, this clinically relevant strategy is aimed to personalize the management of metastatic disease in the brain and elsewhere.

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Published to PubMed This Week

• A mutation in the SAA1 promoter causes hereditary amyloid A amyloidosis.
  Kidney International
• Posaconazole-induced podocyte phospholipidosis.
  Kidney International
• Mast cell sarcoma: 2 Mayo Clinic cases.
  American Journal of Hematology
• A paradigm shift: engagement of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine trainees by innovative teaching methods.
  Clinical Chemistry
• Cancer and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy: A longitudinal referral case-controlled outcomes evaluation.
  Rheumatology
• Contribution of uremia to Ureaplasma-induced hyperammonemia.
  Microbiology Spectrum
• In reply to struikmans et al.
  International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology and Physics
• 1.5 million platelet count limit at essential thrombocythemia diagnosis: correlations and relevance to vascular events.
  Blood Advances
• Brain metastases, patterns of intracranial progression, and the clinical value of upfront cranial radiotherapy in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.
  Translational Lung Cancer Research
• Rare genetic variants associated with myocardial fibrosis: Multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.
  Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

Chantell Canfield

Chantell Canfield is a web content coordinator for Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She began working for Mayo Clinic in 2021.