implementation-minimally-invasive-brain-tumor-resection-rodents-for

Implementation of Minimally Invasive Brain Tumor Resection in Rodents for High Viability Tissue Collection

The present protocol describes a standardized paradigm for rodent brain tumor resection and tissue preservation. In clinical practice, maximal tumor ...

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a squamous cell carcinoma with a proclivity for systemic dissemination, leading many patients to present with advanced stage disease and fail available treatments. There is a notable lack of targeted therapies for NPC, despite working knowledge of multiple proteins with integral roles in NPC cancer biology. These proteins include EZH2, Snail, eIF4E, and IMPDH, which are all overexpressed in NPC and correlated with poor prognosis. These proteins are known to be modulated by ribavirin, an FDA-approved hepatitis C antiviral that has recently been repurposed as a promising therapeutic in several solid and hematologic malignancies. Here, we investigated the potential of ribavirin as a targeted anticancer agent in five human NPC cell lines. Using cellular growth assays, flow cytometry, BrdU cell proliferation assays, scratch wound assays, and invasion assays, we show  that ribavirin decreases NPC cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion and promotes cell-cycle arrest and cell death. Modulation of EZH2, Snail, eIF4E, IMPDH, mTOR, and cyclin D1 were observed in Western blots and enzymatic activity assays in response to ribavirin treatment. As monotherapy, ribavirin reduced flank tumor growth in multiple NPC xenograft models  Most importantly, we demonstrate that ribavirin enhanced the effects of radiotherapy, a central component of NPC treatment, both  and  Our work suggests that NPC responds to ribavirin-mediated EZH2, Snail, eIF4E, IMPDH, and mTOR changes and positions ribavirin for clinical evaluation as a potential addition to our NPC treatment armamentarium.

Repurposing the FDA-Approved Antiviral Drug Ribavirin as Targeted Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is an emerging and increasingly useful modality in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Although traditional use of ultrasound at lower frequencies has primarily been for diagnostic imaging purposes, the development of HIFU has allowed this particular modality to expand into therapeutic use. This non-invasive and acoustic method involves the use of a piezoelectric transducer to deliver high-energy pulses in a spatially coordinated manner, while minimizing damage to tissue outside the target area. This review describes the history of the development of diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound and explores the biomedical applications utilizing HIFU technology including thermally ablative treatment, therapeutic delivery mechanisms, and neuromodulatory phenomena. The application of HIFU across various tumor types in multiple organ systems is explored in depth, with particular attention to successful models of HIFU in the treatment of various medical conditions. Basic mechanisms, preclinical models, previous clinical use, and ongoing clinical trials are comparatively discussed. Recent advances in HIFU across multiple medical fields reveal the growing importance of this biomedical technology for the care of patients and for the development of possible pathways for the future use of HIFU as a commonplace treatment modality.

Article	Year
Repurposing the FDA-Approved Antiviral Drug Ribavirin as Targeted Therapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Molecular cancer therapeutics\| PubMed ID: 32606016	2020
High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: A Review of Mechanisms and Clinical Applications. Annals of biomedical engineering\| PubMed ID: 34374945	2021

Jayanidhi Kedda

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