Citations

PurposeThe goal of this work was to detect disease‐related microstructural changes to the liver using magnetic resonance imaging. Chronic liver disease can cause microstructural changes in the liver that reduce plasma access to the perisinusoidal space—the site of exchange between the blood plasma and the hepatic parenchyma. The reduced plasma access to the perisinusoidal space inhibits hepatic function and contributes to the ∼30,000 chronic liver disease‐related deaths per year.MethodsThe extracellular matrix‐specific cationized ferritin magnetic resonance imaging probe was injected intravenously into healthy rats and a rat model of the chronic liver disease non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis. Rats were subsequently imaged with ‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsThis work demonstrates that the binding of cationized ferritin to the perisinusoidal extracellular matrix is reduced by 55% in a rat model of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis compared to healthy controls. This reduced binding is detectable in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy indicated that the reduced binding is due to inhibited macromolecular access to the perisinusoidal space caused by non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis‐related microstructural changes.ConclusionsThe reduced accumulation of intravenously injected cationized ferritin may report on changes in macromolecular access to the liver parenchyma in chronic liver disease. Magn Reson Med 70:1728–1738, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract Background: The hedgehog pathway is dysregulated in basal cell carcinoma, medulloblastoma, pancreatic, lung, gastric, and a variety of other cancers. BMS-833923 is a potent, oral, small molecule antagonist of hedgehog signaling. Methods: Subjects with advanced or metastatic solid tumors were enrolled into a multiple ascending dose study to identify a maximum tolerated dose and evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics of BMS-833923. All subjects receive a single dose one week prior to continuous daily dosing. The single dose window allows for single dose PK collection for one week. To identify the pharmacologically active dose range surrogate tissue was collected prior to Day 1 and again on Day 22 of the first cycle. Results: As of August 14, 2009 sixteen subjects have been treated at four dose levels: 30 mg (n=5), 60 mg (n=3), 120 mg (n=3), and 240 mg (n=5); with mean patient age of 56 (range 21–78) and ECOG performance 0–1. No subjects in the first three dose cohorts experienced drug-related CTCAE AEs greater than Grade 2. One subject with medulloblastoma in the 30 mg dose cohort continues on study for more than 10 months with stable disease. Treatment of patients in the fourth cohort at 240 mg continuous daily dosing is still on-going. In this cohort one subject experienced drug-related CTCAE Grade 2 lipase elevation and pancreatitis that quickly resolved when drug was withheld. This subject has a diagnosis of Gorlin Syndrome, which is caused by germline mutations in the hedgehog pathway genes Patched or Smoothened. This subject experienced a partial response (PR) that is still ongoing. BMS-833923 PK properties showed dose proportionality between the 30, 60, and 120 mg dose cohorts with a Cmax of 30 ng/ml, 56 ng/ml and 102 ng/ml respectively. The terminal half-life was greater than 7 days and drug accumulations were observed. Conclusion: BMS-833923 is generally well tolerated at daily doses of 30, 60, 120 mg. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):A55.

Abstract Background: Patients with lung cancer with mutations in EGF receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase have improved prognosis when treated with EGFR inhibitors. We hypothesized that EGFR mutations may be related to residential radon or passive tobacco smoke. Methods: This hypothesis was investigated by analyzing EGFR mutations in 70 lung tumors from a population of never and long-term former female smokers from Missouri with detailed exposure assessments. The relationship with passive smoking was also examined in never-smoking female lung cancer cases from the Mayo clinic. Results: Overall, the frequency of EGFR mutation was 41% [95% confidence interval (CI), 32%–49%]. Neither radon nor passive-smoking exposure was consistently associated with EGFR mutations in lung tumors. Conclusions: The results suggest that EGFR mutations are common in female, never-smoking lung cancer cases from the United States, and EGFR mutations are unlikely due to exposure to radon or passive smoking. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(6); 988–92. ©2012 AACR.