Browsing by Author "Hoeman, Christine"

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    A high-throughput in vitro drug screen in a genetically engineered mouse model of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma identifies BMS-754807 as a promising therapeutic agent.
    (PLoS One, 2015) Halvorson, Kyle G; Barton, Kelly L; Schroeder, Kristin; Misuraca, Katherine L; Hoeman, Christine; Chung, Alex; Crabtree, Donna M; Cordero, Francisco J; Singh, Raj; Spasojevic, Ivan; Berlow, Noah; Pal, Ranadip; Becher, Oren J
    Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) represent a particularly lethal type of pediatric brain cancer with no effective therapeutic options. Our laboratory has previously reported the development of genetically engineered DIPG mouse models using the RCAS/tv-a system, including a model driven by PDGF-B, H3.3K27M, and p53 loss. These models can serve as a platform in which to test novel therapeutics prior to the initiation of human clinical trials. In this study, an in vitro high-throughput drug screen as part of the DIPG preclinical consortium using cell-lines derived from our DIPG models identified BMS-754807 as a drug of interest in DIPG. BMS-754807 is a potent and reversible small molecule multi-kinase inhibitor with many targets including IGF-1R, IR, MET, TRKA, TRKB, AURKA, AURKB. In vitro evaluation showed significant cytotoxic effects with an IC50 of 0.13 μM, significant inhibition of proliferation at a concentration of 1.5 μM, as well as inhibition of AKT activation. Interestingly, IGF-1R signaling was absent in serum-free cultures from the PDGF-B; H3.3K27M; p53 deficient model suggesting that the antitumor activity of BMS-754807 in this model is independent of IGF-1R. In vivo, systemic administration of BMS-754807 to DIPG-bearing mice did not prolong survival. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated that tumor tissue drug concentrations of BMS-754807 were well below the identified IC50, suggesting that inadequate drug delivery may limit in vivo efficacy. In summary, an unbiased in vitro drug screen identified BMS-754807 as a potential therapeutic agent in DIPG, but BMS-754807 treatment in vivo by systemic delivery did not significantly prolong survival of DIPG-bearing mice.
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    Genomic analysis of diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas identifies three molecular subgroups and recurrent activating ACVR1 mutations.
    (Nat Genet, 2014-05) Buczkowicz, Pawel; Hoeman, Christine; Rakopoulos, Patricia; Pajovic, Sanja; Letourneau, Louis; Dzamba, Misko; Morrison, Andrew; Lewis, Peter; Bouffet, Eric; Bartels, Ute; Zuccaro, Jennifer; Agnihotri, Sameer; Ryall, Scott; Barszczyk, Mark; Chornenkyy, Yevgen; Bourgey, Mathieu; Bourque, Guillaume; Montpetit, Alexandre; Cordero, Francisco; Castelo-Branco, Pedro; Mangerel, Joshua; Tabori, Uri; Ho, King Ching; Huang, Annie; Taylor, Kathryn R; Mackay, Alan; Bendel, Anne E; Nazarian, Javad; Fangusaro, Jason R; Karajannis, Matthias A; Zagzag, David; Foreman, Nicholas K; Donson, Andrew; Hegert, Julia V; Smith, Amy; Chan, Jennifer; Lafay-Cousin, Lucy; Dunn, Sandra; Hukin, Juliette; Dunham, Chris; Scheinemann, Katrin; Michaud, Jean; Zelcer, Shayna; Ramsay, David; Cain, Jason; Brennan, Cameron; Souweidane, Mark M; Jones, Chris; Allis, C David; Brudno, Michael; Becher, Oren; Hawkins, Cynthia
    Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a fatal brain cancer that arises in the brainstem of children, with no effective treatment and near 100% fatality. The failure of most therapies can be attributed to the delicate location of these tumors and to the selection of therapies on the basis of assumptions that DIPGs are molecularly similar to adult disease. Recent studies have unraveled the unique genetic makeup of this brain cancer, with nearly 80% found to harbor a p.Lys27Met histone H3.3 or p.Lys27Met histone H3.1 alteration. However, DIPGs are still thought of as one disease, with limited understanding of the genetic drivers of these tumors. To understand what drives DIPGs, we integrated whole-genome sequencing with methylation, expression and copy number profiling, discovering that DIPGs comprise three molecularly distinct subgroups (H3-K27M, silent and MYCN) and uncovering a new recurrent activating mutation affecting the activin receptor gene ACVR1 in 20% of DIPGs. Mutations in ACVR1 were constitutively activating, leading to SMAD phosphorylation and increased expression of the downstream activin signaling targets ID1 and ID2. Our results highlight distinct molecular subgroups and novel therapeutic targets for this incurable pediatric cancer.