A Flow Cytometric Assay for Investigating Melanoma Cell Adhesion to Lymphatic Endothelial Cells.

Lymph node invasion by tumor cells is an important process in the progression of melanoma and is a poor prognostic factor for patients with this cancer. Before they are able to spread to regional lymph nodes, though, melanoma cells must first adhere to lymphatic endothelium and transmigrate into the lymphatic vasculature. In order to study melanoma cell adhesion to lymphatic endothelial cells and the factors that regulate this process, we have developed an in vitro flow cytometry-based assay to measure melanoma cell attachment to lymphatic endothelial cells.

Generation of Functional Gene Knockout Melanoma Cell Lines by CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing.

Recent advances in the treatment of metastatic melanoma have emerged only from advances in our understanding of melanoma development and progression at the cellular and molecular levels. Despite the impact that such advances have made on the clinical management of this cancer over the last decade, additional insights into factors that promote melanoma progression and therapeutic resistance are needed to combat this disease. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology is a powerful tool for studying gene function in a timely and cost-effective manner, enabling the manipulation of specific DNA sequences via a targeted approach.

The FOXC2 Transcription Factor Promotes Melanoma Outgrowth and Regulates Expression of Genes Associated With Drug Resistance and Interferon Responsiveness.

Background/aim: The FOXC2 transcription factor promotes the progression of several cancer types, but has not been investigated in the context of melanoma cells. To study FOXC2's influence on melanoma progression, we generated a FOXC2-deficient murine melanoma cell line and evaluated The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) patient datasets.

Materials And Methods: We compared tumor growth kinetics and RNA-seq/qRT-PCR gene expression profiles from wild-type versus FOXC2-deficient murine melanomas.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer: An overview of FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Although T lymphocytes have long been appreciated for their role in the immunosurveillance of cancer, it has been the realization that cancer cells may ultimately escape a response from tumor-reactive T cells that has ignited efforts to enhance the efficacy of anti-tumor immune responses. Recent advances in our understanding of T cell immunobiology have been particularly instrumental in informing therapeutic strategies to overcome mechanisms of tumor immune escape, and immune checkpoint blockade has emerged as one of the most promising therapeutic options for patients in the history of cancer treatment. Designed to interfere with inhibitory pathways that naturally constrain T cell reactivity, immune checkpoint blockade releases inherent limits on the activation and maintenance of T cell effector function.

The Health Insurance Gap After Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Texas.

Households with incomes between 18% and 99% of the federal poverty level (FPL) are ineligible for Medicaid or enrollment in the health insurance exchange marketplace in Texas, resulting in the health insurance gap. We sought to determine the number of non-elderly adult Texans (NEATs) aged between 18 and 64 years in the insurance gap in rural vs urban areas in East Texas, West Texas, and South Texas. Data were obtained from the US Census Bureau website.

Enrollment in Health Insurance Through the Marketplace After Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Texas.

One of the goals of the Affordable Care Act aims to provide affordable health insurance through the health insurance exchange marketplace (the Marketplace). This study explores enrollments in the Marketplace in Texas and in rural vs urban areas in the East, South, and West regions of the state. Data are derived from the US Census Bureau and the Department of Health and Human Services.