Publications by authors named "Ava Oberlack"
Article Synopsis
- Dysmorphologists face challenges due to the diverse phenotypic variability of human faces, particularly when using Next-Generation Phenotyping (NGP) tools, which are often trained on limited data.
- To address this, the GestaltMatcher Database (GMDB) was created, compiling over 10,980 facial images from various global populations, significantly improving the representation of underrepresented ancestries, especially African and Asian patients.
- The study found that incorporating data from non-European patients enhanced NGP accuracy by over 11% without compromising performance for European patients, highlighting the importance of diverse datasets in identifying genetic disorders.
Article Synopsis
- The significant phenotypic variability of human faces complicates the work of dysmorphologists by challenging Next-Generation Phenotyping (NGP) tools, especially when analyzing patients from diverse genetic backgrounds.
- The research established the GestaltMatcher Database (GMDB), which includes over 10,000 facial images from patients with rare genetic disorders worldwide, striving to improve representation of underrepresented populations, particularly Asian and African patients.
- The analysis showed that incorporating data from non-European patients enhanced the accuracy of NGP in diagnosing facial disorders without negatively affecting performance on European patients, emphasizing the need for more diverse datasets in medical genetics.
Intra-tumor heterogeneity of tumor-initiating cell (TIC) activity drives colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and therapy resistance. Here, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing of patient-derived CRC models to decipher distinct cell subpopulations based on their transcriptional profiles. Cell type-specific expression modules of stem-like, transit amplifying-like, and differentiated CRC cells resemble differentiation states of normal intestinal epithelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn highly aggressive malignancies like pancreatic cancer (PC), patient-derived tumor models can serve as disease-relevant models to understand disease-related biology as well as to guide clinical decision-making. In this study, we describe a two-step protocol allowing systematic establishment of patient-derived primary cultures from PC patient tumors. Initial xenotransplantation of surgically resected patient tumors (n = 134) into immunodeficient mice allows for efficient in vivo expansion of vital tumor cells and successful tumor expansion in 38% of patient tumors (51/134).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatient-derived cancer xenografts (PDX) are widely used to identify and evaluate novel therapeutic targets, and to test therapeutic approaches in preclinical mouse avatar trials. Despite their widespread use, potential caveats of PDX models remain considerably underappreciated. Here, we demonstrate that EBV-associated B-lymphoproliferations frequently develop following xenotransplantation of human colorectal and pancreatic carcinomas in highly immunodeficient NOD.
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