The annual American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) concluded last Wednesday in Philadelphia. Lymphoma related abstracts from researchers at the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College, presented results that could lead to potential new lymphoma therapies. These included:
In this study researchers from the Meyer Cancer Center used whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole transciptome sequencing (WTS) to study the progression of mantle cell lymphoma in patients, who had previously taken part in a clinical trial testing the combination of palbociclib and bortezomib. The primary goal was to understand the difference in response caused by genetic differentiations in those patients who responded to treatment and patients who did not respond to treatment. Investigators sought to understand these genetic differentiations by identifying copy number variants, single nucleotide variants, and differentially expressed genes. In doing so they were able to identify molecular clues to the mechanisms of resistance presented in patients with mantle cell lymphoma. These results are being followed up with in functional studies. They could potentially offer greater insight into the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma.
Transcriptome sequencing of the Reed-Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Genomic studies of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) have been confined to cell lines due to the technological difficulties in isolating Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells from reactive background tissue. However, a multi-disciplinary research team found a solution to the issues involved in isolating these cells. A flow cytometric cell isolation method allowed for the isolation of thousands of viable HRS cells from cHL tumors, which enabled the isolation of high quality RNA from HRS cells and intra-tumor B cells from 9 primary cases of cHL. The team also sequenced the transcriptomes of four cell lines, and conducted a search for activated pathways. In the future, this form of analysis of HRS cells will allow for the expanded study of cHL pathogenesis. This line of analysis could potentially lead to new individualized approaches to therapy through the identification of altered signaling pathways.
New Developments in Lymphoma 