<p>A multitude of neurologic diseases are increasing in patients that both diminish quality and quantity of life. My dissertation research focused on unraveling the blood-brain barrier’s alterations (BBB), primarily in lung cancer brain metastases, the most common brain metastasis in patients. We optimized a reliable and reproducible mouse model for creating brain metastases using patient derived brain seeking cells of non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) using ultrasound-guided intracardiac injection. I then evaluated brain tissue with qualitative and quantitative immunofluorescence for individual components of the BBB. Using this experimental method, I was able to identify the specific shift of each BBB component over time in NSCLC brain metastases. I then used human brain metastases specimens to demonstrate the clinical relevance of my findings. These results show distinct alterations in the BBB, which have the potential for targeting therapeutic delivery to extend patient survival. I was also able to characterize a novel epithelial-mesenchymal (EMT) phenotype in vertebral metastases of NSCLC in our model, with features similar to those seen in human patients. Most recently, I analyzed patterns of paracellular permeability associated with each BBB component of NSCLC brain metastases which may provide direct passageways for therapeutic delivery. Altogether, this research offered foundational evidence for the future development of targeted novel therapeutics, including nanoparticles. Outside of the brain metastases field, we used an experimental framework to successfully characterize the BBB alterations in a traumatic brain injury model (bTBI). These findings provided the first description of this unique pathology and the framework for developing therapeutics in other neurologic diseases. Although my research work has focused on animal models of disease, future directions based on my research work include the developing a novel 3D BBB-on-chip device to enable high throughput novel therapeutic delivery through the BBB. Long-term, identifying targetable alterations in the restrictive BBB using <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> models provides a potential conduit for effective prevention and treatment of a myriad of neurologic diseases to prolong patient survival and quality of life.</p>

<p>Karcinom bronha je danas u svetu najče&scaron;ći uzrok smrti povezanih sa malignim bolestima. U XX veku je registrovan značajan porast kako incidence, tako i mortaliteta karcinoma bronha u većini zemalja. Medijana&nbsp; preživljavanja u svim stadijumima bolesti se značajno pobolj&scaron;ala poslednjih godina XX veka, ali nedovoljno u odnosu na očekivano. U najvećem broju slučajeva, bolest se otkriva u uznapredovalom stadijumu, kada je radikalno hirur&scaron;ko lečenje kao optimalan vid lečenja nemoguće. Određivanje stadijuma bolesti (stejdžing) je najbitniji segment u evaluaciji svakog bolesnika s karcinomom bronha. Utvrđivanje zahvaćenosti medijastinalnih&nbsp; limfnih čvorova karcinomom je od posebne važnosti, jer je u velikom broju slučajeva upravo nodalni status faktor koji određuje svsishodnost primene hirur&scaron;kog lečenja, radioterapije i hemioterapije, a samim tim i jedan od bitnih faktora prognoze bolesnika sa nemikrocelularnim karcinomom bronha NSCLC. Bolesnici sa dokazanom zahvaćeno&scaron;ću N2 medijastinalnih limfnih čvorova se svrstavaju u IIIA stadijum NSCLC koji je potencijalno resektabilan, dok se bolesnici sa dokazanom zahvaćeno&scaron;ću N3 medijastinalnih limfnih čvorova svrstavaju u IIIB stadijum NSCLC, koji se smatra neresektabilnim. Cilj ove doktorske disertacije je bio da se utvrdi da li postoje prognostički značajni faktori za rezultat lečenja medijastinoskopski dokazanog N2 i N3 stadijuma NSCLC. Studija je bila nerandomizovana, delom retrospektivnog, a delom prospektivnog karaktera. U ispitivanje je uključeno 60 bolesnika lečenih u Institutu za plućne bolesti Vojvodine tokom&nbsp; 2006., 2007. i 2008. godine. Kod svih uključenih bolesnika medijastinoskopijom je dokazana propagacija NSCLC u medijastinalne limfne čvorove. U radu su analizirani sledeći faktori: pol, starost, ECOG performans status, pridružena hronična opstruktivna bolest pluća (HOBP), pridruženo kardiovaskularno oboljenje sa simtomatologijom klasifikovanom prema NYHA, T faktor, lokalizacija i broj medijastinoskopski dokazanih metastatski zahvaćenih limfnih čvorova, vrsta primenjenog&nbsp; lečenja (hemioradioterapija, hemioterapija, operacija), rezultat lečenja (odgovor na terapiju i preživljavanje). Univarijantnom analizom je utvrđeno da su kod bolesnika sa medijastinoskopski dokazanim N2 i N3 stadijumom NSCLC prognostički faktori koji su imali uticaj na lo&scaron;ije preživljavanje bili: ECOG PS 2 (p=0,00000), pridruženo kardivaskularno oboljenja sa simptomatologijom klase NYHA II (p=0,00113), zahvaćenost kontralateralnih medijastinalnih medijastinalnih limfnih čvorova (N3 stadijum) (p=0,000003), dok je uticaj zahvaćenosti vi&scaron;e pozicija ipsilateralnih medijastinalnih limfnih čvorova (multi station N2) bio na granici statističke značajnosti (p=0,05385). Utvrđeno je da bolesnici sa N2 i N3 stadijumom NSCLC lečeni hemioradioterapijom imaju bolju stopu odgovora na primenjenu terapiju u odnosu na bolesnike lečene samo hemioterapijom (p=0,03118), kao i da operativno lečenje primenjeno kod bolesnika koji su imali dobar odgovor na sprovedenu terapiju ima statistički značajan uticaj u vidu boljeg preživljavanja (p=0,00121). Univarijantnom analizom nije utvrđen značajan uticaj sledećih faktora na preživljavanje bolesnika sa N2 i N3 stadijomom NSCLC: pol, starost, pridružena HOBP, skvamozni tip NSCLC i T faktor. Multivarijantnom analizom su kao nezavisni prognostički faktori na preživljavanje bolesnika sa N2 i N3 stadijumom NSCLC utvrđeni klinički N status (bolje preživljavanje ima N2 u odnosu na N3 stadijum) i sprovedena terapija (bolje preživljavanje ima hemioradioterapija u odnosu na hemioterapiju). Dobijeni rezultati navode nas na zaključak da su pozicija i broj zahvaćenih pozicija medijastinalnih limfnih čvorova, koji su utvrđeni medijastinoskopski, kao i sprovođenje multimodalnog lečenja ključni prognostički faktori za preživljavanje bolesnika sa N2 i N3 stadijumom NSCLC.</p> / <p>Lung&nbsp; cancer&nbsp; is&nbsp; the&nbsp; most&nbsp; common cause of cancer&nbsp; related mortality&nbsp; worldwide.&nbsp; Increase&nbsp; in&nbsp; both&nbsp; incidence&nbsp; and mortality&nbsp; of&nbsp; lung&nbsp; cancer&nbsp; was&nbsp; registered&nbsp; throughout&nbsp; 20th century. The median survival in every stage of lung cancer has been improved in last years of 20th century but it is still not satisfactory. In most cases, lung cancer is diagnosed in advanced&nbsp; stage&nbsp; when&nbsp; surgical&nbsp; treatment&nbsp; as&nbsp; the&nbsp; optimal approach&nbsp; is&nbsp; not&nbsp; possible. Staging&nbsp; is&nbsp; the&nbsp; most&nbsp; important element&nbsp; in&nbsp; the&nbsp; evaluation&nbsp; of&nbsp; every&nbsp; lung&nbsp; cancer&nbsp; patient. Mediastinal lymph node involvement is crucial, because in most of the cases nodal staging is factor which determines appropriate use of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and it is one of the important factors influencing prognosis of lung cancer patients. Patients with proven involvement of ipsilateral&nbsp; mediastinal&nbsp; lymph&nbsp; nodes&nbsp; (N2&nbsp; stage)&nbsp; are categorized&nbsp; in&nbsp; IIIA&nbsp; stage&nbsp; which&nbsp; is&nbsp; considered&nbsp; to&nbsp; be potentially resectable, and patients with proven involvement of&nbsp; contralateral&nbsp; mediastinal&nbsp; lymph&nbsp; nodes&nbsp; (N3&nbsp; stage)&nbsp; are categorized&nbsp; in&nbsp; IIIB&nbsp; stage,&nbsp; which&nbsp; is&nbsp; considered&nbsp; to&nbsp; be nonresectable. The aim of this study was the determination of&nbsp; significant&nbsp; prognostic&nbsp; factors&nbsp; that&nbsp; have&nbsp; influence&nbsp; on treatment&nbsp; and&nbsp; survival&nbsp; of&nbsp; non-small&nbsp; cell&nbsp; lung&nbsp; cancer (NSCLC)&nbsp; patients&nbsp; in&nbsp; stage&nbsp; N2&nbsp; and&nbsp; N3.&nbsp; Study&nbsp; was nonrandomized,&nbsp;&nbsp; partially&nbsp;&nbsp; retrospective&nbsp;&nbsp; and&nbsp;&nbsp; partially prospective. It included 60 patients treated at the Institute for Pulmonary&nbsp; Diseases&nbsp; of&nbsp; Vojvodina&nbsp; during&nbsp; 2006,&nbsp; 2007&nbsp; and 2008. Cancer involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes was determined by mediastinoscopy in every patient. In study we analyzed following factors: gender, age, ECOG performance&nbsp;&nbsp; status,&nbsp;&nbsp; associated&nbsp;&nbsp; chronic&nbsp;&nbsp; obstructive pulmonary&nbsp; disease&nbsp; (COPD),&nbsp; associated&nbsp; cardiovascular disease with symptoms graded by NYHA classification, T status, position and number of involved mediastinal lymph nodes,&nbsp; applied&nbsp; treatment&nbsp; (surgery,&nbsp; chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy alone), treatment result (response to treatment and&nbsp; survival).&nbsp; Prognostic&nbsp; factors&nbsp; for&nbsp; poorer&nbsp; survival&nbsp; on univariant analysis were ECOG PS 2 (p=0,0000), associated cardiovascular&nbsp;&nbsp; disease&nbsp;&nbsp; with&nbsp;&nbsp; symptoms&nbsp;&nbsp; NYHA&nbsp;&nbsp; II (p=0,00113)&nbsp; and&nbsp; involvement of&nbsp; contralateral&nbsp; mediastinal lymph nodes (N3 stage) (p=0,00003) while multi station N2 disease was borderline significant at level of p=0,05385. It was determined that patients treated with chemoradiotherapy achieved better response to treatment compared to patients treated&nbsp; with&nbsp; chemotherapy&nbsp; alone&nbsp; (p=0,03118).&nbsp; Univariant analyses&nbsp; did&nbsp; not&nbsp; confirm&nbsp; significance&nbsp; of&nbsp; gender,&nbsp; age, associate COPD, squamous cell lung cancer and T factor on survival. Multivariante&nbsp; analyses&nbsp; identified&nbsp; N&nbsp; status&nbsp; (better survival has N2 stage compared to N3 stage of NSCLC) and conducted treatment (better survival has&nbsp; chemoradiotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone) as independent prognostic factors.&nbsp; Our&nbsp; results&nbsp; suggest&nbsp; that&nbsp; position&nbsp; and&nbsp; number&nbsp; of cancer involved&nbsp; mediastinal lymph nodes position,&nbsp; proven by mediastinoscopy, as well as the conducted multimodality treatment are key prognostic factors which might influence the survival of patients with N2 and N3 stage of NSCLC.</p>

Lung cancer is a disease with a high mortality rate for the U.S. Black population. There had been considerable research done on different population demographics, necessary to achieve the Healthy People 2020 overarching goals to eliminate health disparities, gain health equity and maintain quality health. Yet, the African-born Black (AFBB) population has been understudied for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study sought to determine whether within race differences in stage at diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC exists between AFBB and American-born Blacks (AMBB) populations in the United States. The study data is secondary data collected as part of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiologic and End Result (SEER) Program from 2004-2011. Athough no significant difference was found between AFBB (n = 119) and AMBB (n = 238) relative to NSCLC stage at diagnosis, differences in treatments were found. The proportion of AFBB patients with early stage (I and II) NSCLC who underwent surgery differed significantly from that of AMBB (p < 0.05); AFBB patients were more likely to receive surgical therapy. The proportion of AFBB patients with stages I-IV of the disease who received radiation treatment also differed significantly from that of AMBB patients (p < 0.05); the latter were more likely to receive radiation therapy. Results from logistic regression analysis indicate that AFBB patients were more likely to receive surgical treatment while AMBB patients were more likely to receive radiation treatment. This study outcome can inform other NSCLC research to provide better insights to the cause of the treatment differences within the race from differing birth places, and efficient planning, evaluation of control programs and management of the disease.

Lung cancer leads in mortality among all types of cancer in the US and Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the major type of lung cancer. Immuno-compromised mice bearing xenografts of human lung cancer cells represent the most common animal models for studying lung cancer biology and for evaluating potential anticancer agents. However, orthotopic lung cancer models based on intrapulmonary injection of suspended cancer cells feature premature leakage of the cancer cells to both sides of the lung within five days, which generates a quick artifact of metastasis and thus belies the development and progression of lung cancer as seen in the clinic. Based on intrapulmonary inoculation of multicellular spheroids (MCS), we have developed the first orthotopic xenograft model of lung cancer that simulates all four clinical stages of NSCLC progression in mice over one month: Stage 1 localized tumor at the inoculation site; Stage 2 multiple tumor nodules or larger tumor nodule on the same side of the lung; Stage 3 cancer growth on heart surface; and Stage 4 metastatic cancer on both sides of the lung. The cancer development was monitored conveniently by in vivo fluorescent imaging and validated by open-chest anatomy, ex vivo fluorescent imaging, and histological studies. The model enjoys high rates of postoperative survival (100%) and parenchymal tumor establishment (88.9%). The roughness of the inoculated MCS is associated negatively with the time needed to develop metastatic cancer (p=0.0299). In addition, we have constructed a co-culture MCS that consisted of A549-iRFP lung cancer cells and WI38 normal human fibroblast cells. The pro-proliferation effect and the high expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) by the co-cultured WI38 cells indicated their transformation from normal fibroblasts to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The morphology of the co-culture MCS features a round shape, a tight internal structure, and quicker development of roughness. The large roughness value of co-culture MCS suggests that small co-culture MCS could be inoculated into mice lung with a small needle to reduce the surgical trauma. Taken together, a new orthotopic model of NSCLC has been developed, which would facilitate future development of medications against lung cancer.

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Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 80% of all lung cancer cases, is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and poor prognosis. Exploitation of NSCLC-upregulated pathways that can either be targeted by novel therapeutics or used to improve the tumour-delivery of current chemotherapeutics are required. Among the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are essential for tumour development, MMP10 is a potential candidate as a therapeutic target based on its expression and contribution to NSCLC development. This research aims to explore the expression and functions of MMP10 in the tumour microenvironment of NSCLC and evaluate the potential of MMP10 as a target for therapeutic intervention. Herein, MMP10 expression at gene and protein levels were analysed in a panel of NSCLC cell lines using RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. To determine MMP10 functional relevance, an in vitro angiogenesis assay using cell conditioned media was carried out. To identify specific peptide sequences for the design of prodrugs rationalised to be MMP10 activated, in vitro substrate cleavage studies were performed using a mass spectrometry approach to differentiate between MMP10 and the structurally similar MMP3. This study demonstrates that MMP10 is highly expressed in NSCLC and that high levels of MMP10 are associated with induction of angiogenesis, a crucial process supporting tumour growth. In addition to the achievement of having been able to differentiate between closely similar MMP3 and MMP10 through carefully monitoring the hydrolysis rate of compound 444259 (a known MMP substrate), data generated herein provides the basis for further studies to exploit MMP10 as a prodrug-activator. / Full text was made available at the end of the embargo period, 12th Dec 2019

Microfluidics is a versatile tool with many applications in biology. Its ability to manipulate small volumes of liquid precisely has led to the development of many microfluidic assay platforms. They could handle small amounts of samples and carry out analysis with high sensitivity and throughput. Microfluidic assays have provided new insights into scarce biological samples at higher resolution. In this thesis, we developed microfluidic tools to conduct low input ChIP-seq and ChIRP-seq. We applied them to a variety of samples profiling different targets. The native MOWChIP-seq platform was developed to map RNA polymerase II, transcription factors and histone deacetylase binding in 1,000-50,000 cells. We examined mouse prefrontal cortex and cerebellum using this technology. We found extensive differences that correlated with distinct neurological functions of the brain regions. The same platform and workflow were used to profile five key histone modifications in human lung tumor and normal tissue samples. Integrative analysis with gene expression data revealed extensive chromatin remodeling in lung tumor. Spatial histone modification mapping was conducted in mouse neocortex in a similar fashion. We generated an epigenomic tomography that demonstrated the molecular state of the brain in 3D. Lastly, we developed a microfluidic version of the ChIRP-seq process which successfully conducted the assay using only 500K cells. This improvement makes ChIRP-seq in tissue samples feasible. / Doctor of Philosophy / Microfluidics is a type of technology that can control small volumes of liquid in a miniature system. It can carry out reactions on very small scales with higher precision and sensitivity than conventional methods. Microfluidics has found many uses in the field of biology, especially dealing with samples available in limited quantities. These low input microfluidic platforms have helped researchers gain new knowledge on many complex questions. In this thesis, we developed microfluidic tools to carry out low input ChIP-seq and ChIRP-seq. These are two established techniques used to map where certain targets are located on the genome of an organism. These targets include specific chemical modifications to the wrapper protein of DNA (histone modification), proteins that take part in transcription and expression of genes (RNA polymerase II, transcription factors) and other molecules. Our nMOWChIP-seq system removed the need for fixation by chemicals. It was able to examine RNA polymerase II, transcription factors and other enzymes using 1,000-50,000 cells. Traditional ChIP-seq requires more than 10 million cells and time-consuming chemical treatment steps. Our technology greatly improved sensitivity and ease of use. We also used this platform to test five important histone modifications in human lung tumors and healthy tissues. We constructed a spatial map of histone modification in mouse brain by analyzing slices of the cortex. Finally, we developed a microfluidic version of ChIRP-seq process to map locations of long non-coding RNAs in cultured human cells. The cells needed for a successful test were reduced to 500K from 20 million of the original workflow.

[ES] A pesar de los nuevos avances en el tratamiento del cáncer de pulmón, su tasa de incidencia y mortalidad siguen en cabeza en todo mundo. Concretamente, el cáncer de pulmón no microcítico (CPNM) representa casi el 85% de todos los cánceres de pulmón, siendo su supervivencia a 5 años muy reducida. En base a dicho escenario, el objetivo principal de este trabajo es el de caracterizar de manera exhaustiva los exosomas secretados por las células del CPNM. Se sabe que estas microvesículas están involucradas en números procesos celulares, por lo que pueden contener gran cantidad de información acerca de las características moleculares del tumor. Para ello se han empleado cultivos primarios y líneas comerciales crecidas en diferentes condiciones, así como muestras de sangre periférica obtenida de los pacientes con CPNM. Un primer screening llevado a cabo en los exosomas secretados in vitro, ha permitido obtener un gran número de mRNAs y miRNAs relacionados con diferentes procesos biológicos y vías de señalización. Además, algunos genes como FDFT1 y SNAI1 han destacado por su sobreexpresión en exosomas procedentes de las células crecidas en formación de tumoresferas (modelos 3D), las cuales están enriquecidas en población de células madre tumorales. A su vez, otros marcadores presentes en el interior de estas microvesículas, se han mostrado relacionados con dos de los subtipos histológicos más frecuentes: adenocarcinoma (LUAD) y carcinoma escamoso (LUSC). Posteriormente, para validar los hallazgos obtenidos en exosomas, los marcadores más significativos fueron analizados in silico en una cohorte de muestras de tejido, compuesta por 661 pacientes con CPNM (TCGA database). Estos resultados han revelado una asociación entre la expresión del gen SNAI1 y la supervivencia de estos pacientes (OS y RFS p<0.05). Además, los genes XAGE1B, SEPP1 y TTF-1 (previamente determinados en exosomas), mantienen una relación significativa con el grupo de pacientes LUAD; mientras que CABYR, RIOK3 y CAPRIN1 se mantienen sobrexpresados en LUSC (Mann-Whitney test p<0.05). Estos marcadores también se han analizado en una cohorte de 186 pacientes con CPNM procedentes del Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, donde se corroboró la asociación de SNAI1 con la supervivencia de los pacientes en estadios tempranos (RFS en pacientes LUAD, p<0.05), así como la sobreexpresión de CABYR y RIOK3 en pacientes LUSC, y de XAGE1B y TTF-1 en LUAD. Por otra parte, el aislamiento de los exosomas presentes en la sangre periférica de pacientes en estadios avanzados, ha permitido identificar otros marcadores asociados a caracterísiticas clínico-patológicas relevantes. A su vez, el contenido de estas microvesículas ha sido empleado para la detección de mutaciones génicas ligadas al manejo clínico del CPNM. En resumen, los resultados obtenidos en este trabajo ponen de manifiesto el potencial de los exosomas como fuente de biomarcadores para el estudio de las diferentes etapas de desarrollo del CPNM. Estas microvesículas ofrecen una visión completa y en tiempo real, de las características de la enfermedad, pudiendo ser aisladas de forma repetida y mediante técnicas mínimamente invasivas. / [CA] A pesar dels avanços recents en el tractament del càncer de pulmó, les seues taxes d'incidència i mortalitat continuen sent altes a nivell mundial. Concretament, el càncer de pulmó de cèl·lules no petites (CPNM) representa gairebé el 85% de tots els càncers de pulmó, amb una taxa de supervivència a 5 anys molt limitada. Donat aquest escenari, l'objectiu principal d'aquest estudi és caracteritzar de manera exhaustiva els exosomes secretats per les cèl·lules de CPNM. Aquestes microvesícules estan involucrades en nombrosos processos tumorals i poden contenir una gran quantitat d'informació sobre les característiques moleculars de la malaltia. Per aconseguir-ho, es van utilitzar cultius primaris i línies cel·lulars (cultiu en diferents condicions), juntament amb mostres de sang perifèrica obtingudes de pacients amb CPNM. Un cribratge inicial en exosomes secrets in vitro va permetre identificar una quantitat significativa de mARNs i miARNs relacionats amb diversos processos biològics i vies de senyalització. A més, alguns gens com FDFT1 i SNAI1 van destacar per la seua sobreexpressió en exosomes derivats de cèl·lules crescuts en formació de tumorsferes (models 3D), que estan enriquides en poblacions de cèl·lules mare tumorals. A més, s'han trobat marcadors en aquestes microvesícules associats amb dos dels subtipus histològics més comuns: adenocarcinoma (LUAD) i carcinoma escamós (LUSC). Posteriorment, per validar els resultats obtinguts en exosomes, es van analitzar in silico els marcadors més significatius en una cohort de teixit de CPNM de la base de dades TCGA. Aquests resultats van revelar una associació entre l'expressió del gen SNAI1 i la supervivència dels pacients (OS i RFS, p <0,05). A més, l'expressió dels gens XAGE1B, SEPP1 i TTF-1 (prèviament identificats en exosomes) va mantenir una relació significativa amb el grup LUAD, mentre que CABYR, RIOK3 i CAPRIN1 van continuar sobreexpressats en els pacients de LUSC (prova de Mann-Whitney, p <0,05). Aquests marcadors també es van analitzar en una cohort de 186 pacients amb CPNM de l'Hospital General Universitari de València, on es va confirmar l'associació de l'expressió de SNAI1 i la supervivència dels pacients en estadi precoç (RFS en pacients de LUAD, p <0,05), així com la sobreexpressió de CABYR i RIOK3 en pacients de LUSC, i de XAGE1B i TTF-1 en LUAD. D'altra banda, els exosomes presents en mostres de sang de la cohort d'estadis avançats van permetre la identificació d'altres biomarcadors associats a característiques clíniques rellevants dels pacients. A més, la càrrega exosomàtica també es va utilitzar per detectar mutacions genètiques relacionades amb el tractament clínic del CPNM. En resum, els resultats obtinguts en aquesta tesi destaquen el potencial dels exosomes com a font de biomarcadors per a l'estudi de les diferents etapes del desenvolupament del CPNM. Aquestes microvesícules ofereixen una visió completa i en temps real de les característiques moleculars de la malaltia i poden ser obtingudes de manera repetida i amb una mínima invasió. / [EN] Despite recent advancements in lung cancer treatment, its incidence and mortality rates remain high worldwide. Specifically, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for nearly 85% of all lung cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of 20%. Given this scenario, the primary objective of this study is to comprehensively characterize the exosomes secreted by NSCLC cells. These microvesicles are known to be involved in numerous tumoral processes, potentially containing a wealth of information about the molecular characteristics of the disease. To achieve this, primary cultures and cell lines, along with peripheral blood samples obtained from NSCLC patients were used. An initial screening in exosomes secreted in vitro allowed the identification of a significant number of mRNAs and miRNAs, related to various biological processes and signaling pathways. Moreover, some genes such as FDFT1 and SNAI1 stood out due to their overexpression in exosomes derived from cells grown in tumorspheres formation (3D models), which are enriched in cancer stem cell population. Additionally, markers found within these microvesicles were associated with two of the most common histological subtypes: adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Subsequently, to validate the findings seen in exosomes, the most significant markers were analyzed in silico in an NSCLC tissue cohort from the TCGA database. These results revealed an association between the expression of SNAI1 and patient survival (OS and RFS, p<0.05). Furthermore, XAGE1B, SEPP1, and TTF-1 expression (previously identified in exosomes) maintained a significant relationship with the LUAD group, while CABYR, RIOK3, and CAPRIN1 remained overexpressed in LUSC patients (Mann-Whitney test, p<0.05). These markers were also analyzed in a cohort of 186 NSCLC patients from the University General Hospital of Valencia. The association of SNAI1 expression and the survival of early-stage patients (RFS in LUAD patients, p<0.05) was confirmed, as well as the overexpression of CABYR and RIOK3 in LUSC patients, and of XAGE1B and TTF-1 in LUAD. Furthermore, exosomes present in blood samples of the advanced-stage cohort, allowed the identification of other biomarkers associated with clinically relevant characteristics of the patients. Moreover, exosomal cargo was also used to detect gene mutations related to the clinical management of NSCLC. In summary, the results obtained in this thesis highlight the potential of exosomes as a source of biomarkers for the study of the different stages of NSCLC development. These microvesicles offer a comprehensive and real-time view of the disease's molecular features and can be obtained repeatedly and in a minimally invasive way. / Duréndez Sáez, ME. (2024). Liquid Biopsy in non-small cell lung cancer: exosomes as a tool for the study of biomarkers [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/203438

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