Establishment and characterization of a new human extragonadal germ cell line, SEM-1, and its comparison with TCam-2 and JKT-1.

Objective: To describe the establishment and characterization of a human cell line, SEM-1, from a patient diagnosed with a mediastinal seminoma.

Methods: A small percentage of germ cell tumors develop as primary lesions in extragonadal sites, and the etiology of these tumors is poorly understood. Currently, only 2 cell lines from seminoma patients have been reported, JKT-1 and TCam-2, both derived from the testis.

Survival signals and targets for therapy in breast implant-associated ALK--anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative, T-cell, anaplastic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (T-ALCL) in patients with textured saline and silicone breast implants is a recently recognized clinical entity for which the etiology and optimal treatment remain unknown.

Experimental Design: Using three newly established model cell lines from patient biopsy specimens, designated T-cell breast lymphoma (TLBR)-1 to -3, we characterized the phenotype and function of these tumors to identify mechanisms of cell survival and potential therapeutic targets.

Results: Cytogenetics revealed chromosomal atypia with partial or complete trisomy and absence of the NPM-ALK (2;5) translocation.

USC-HN2, a new model cell line for recurrent oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma with immunosuppressive characteristics.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are common and aggressive tumors that have not seen an improvement in survival rates in decades. These tumors are believed to evade the immune system through a variety of mechanisms and are therefore highly immune modulatory. In order to elucidate their interaction with the immune system and develop new therapies targeting immune escape, new pre-clinical models are needed.

Functional characterization of human Cd33+ and Cd11b+ myeloid-derived suppressor cell subsets induced from peripheral blood mononuclear cells co-cultured with a diverse set of human tumor cell lines.

Background: Tumor immune tolerance can derive from the recruitment of suppressor cell populations, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). In cancer patients, MDSC accumulation correlates with increased tumor burden, but the mechanisms of MDSC induction remain poorly understood.

Methods: This study examined the ability of human tumor cell lines to induce MDSC from healthy donor PBMC using in vitro co-culture methods.