evaluation of tumor cell specific drug responses in malignant pleural effusions.

The effect of chemotherapy may be improved by combining the most effective drugs based on testing the sensitivity of the individual tumor . Such estimations of tumor cells from effusions have so far not been implemented in the clinical routine as a basis for individualized choice of therapy. One obstacle for such analyses is the admixture of benign cells that might obscure the results.

Drug sensitivity profiling and molecular characteristics of cells from pleural effusions of patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

We propose to assess the therapeutic value of biomarker-guided individualized chemotherapy in patients with metastasizing lung adenocarcinoma. In this study, we used primary cells from pleural effusions from sixteen patients diagnosed with adenocarcinomas originating in the lung and from four patients with no malignant diagnosis. The ex vivo drug sensitivity of primary cells was assessed for 32 chemotherapeutical drugs.

Characterization and drug sensitivity profiling of primary malignant mesothelioma cells from pleural effusions.

Background: Patients with malignant mesothelioma have a poor prognosis and only 40% respond to first line treatment; a combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin. We used primary malignant mesothelioma cells and an ex vivo chemosensitivity assay with future purpose to predict best choice of treatment. The clinical outcome of these patients might be predicted by measuring drug sensitivity.

Affixing N-terminal α-helix to the wall of the voltage-dependent anion channel does not prevent its voltage gating.

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) governs the free exchange of ions and metabolites between the mitochondria and the rest of the cell. The three-dimensional structure of VDAC1 reveals a channel formed by 19 β-strands and an N-terminal α-helix located near the midpoint of the pore. The position of this α-helix causes a narrowing of the cavity, but ample space for metabolite passage remains.