Publications by authors named "A Z Fernandis"

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) leads to durable and complete tumour regression in some patients but in others gives temporary, partial or no response. Accordingly, significant efforts are underway to identify tumour-intrinsic mechanisms underlying ICB resistance. Results from a published CRISPR screen in a mouse model suggested that targeting STUB1, an E3 ligase involved in protein homeostasis, may overcome ICB resistance but the molecular basis of this effect remains unclear.

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Inhibition of hepatic transporters such as organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) 1B can cause drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Determining the impact of perpetrator drugs on the plasma exposure of endogenous substrates for OATP1B could be valuable to assess the risk for DDIs early in drug development. As OATP1B orthologs are well conserved between human and monkey, we assessed in cynomolgus monkeys the endogenous OATP1B substrates that are potentially suitable to assess DDI risk in humans.

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Problem: Syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles (STBM) are shed from placenta into the maternal circulation. STBM circulate in increased amounts in adverse pregnancies, e.g.

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Direct measurement of various sterols in crude lipid extracts in a single experiment from limited biological samples is challenging. Current mass spectrometry (MS) based approaches usually require chemical derivatization before subjecting to MS analysis. Here, we present a derivatization-independent method for analyzing various sterols, including cholesterol and its congeners, using liquid chromatography and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

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It is known that apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is essential for normal lipid metabolism. ApoE is the major apolipoprotein in the central nervous system and plays a key role in neurobiology by mediating the transport of cholesterol, phospholipids, and sulfatides. We therefore examined APOE epsilon2, epsilon3, and epsilon4 knock-in mice, using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to determine if APOE genotype or age leads to altered levels in the brain of a number of glycerophospholipids (phosphatidylinositol, PI; phosphatidylethanolamine, PE; phosphatidic acid, PA, phosphatidylserine, PS; phosphatidylcholine, PC), sphingolipids (sphingomyelin, SM; ceramide, Cer), cholesterol, and triacylglycerols.

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