Publications by authors named "Jean Soulier"

Background: Allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is the standard treatment for bone marrow failure (BMF) in patients with Fanconi anaemia, but transplantation-associated complications such as an increased incidence of subsequent cancer are frequent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the infusion of autologous gene-corrected haematopoietic stem cells as an alternative therapy for these patients.

Methods: This was an open-label, investigator-initiated phase 1/2 clinical trial (FANCOLEN-1) and long-term follow-up trial (up to 7 years post-treatment) in Spain.

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  • The study examines the blood-related characteristics and overall prognosis of 127 patients with telomere biology disorders (TBD) who were diagnosed after age 15, highlighting a lack of data on this topic.
  • At diagnosis, significant haematological issues were present in nearly 76% of patients, with bone marrow failure (BMF) being the most common, affecting 46.5% of the cases, while some patients also developed additional complications over time.
  • The findings suggest that BMF patients tend to be younger and have a better survival rate compared to those with higher-risk blood cancers, indicating TBD as a complex multi-organ disease needing further research on its evolutionary nature and outcomes.
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Purpose: quantification is widely regarded as the standard for monitoring measurable residual disease (MRD) in Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) ALL. However, recent evidence of multilineage involvement questions the significance of MRD. We aimed to define the prognostic role of MRD as assessed by or lymphoid-specific immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor () gene markers.

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  • The genomics era has led to the identification of the ERG gene as a new autosomal dominant predisposition factor for bone marrow failure (BMF) and hematological malignancies (HM), crucial for blood cell development and function.
  • Research found several rare ERG variants associated with thrombocytopenia and various forms of HM, showing onset typically before age 40.
  • Functional studies indicated that many ERG variants disrupt its role as a transcription factor, leading to ineffective blood cell production, with implications for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies for affected patients and families.
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The recent application of whole exome or whole genome sequencing unveiled a plethora of germline variants predisposing to myeloid disorders, particularly myelodysplastic neoplasms. The presence of such variants in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes has important clinical repercussions for haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, from donor selection and conditioning regimen to graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis and genetic counselling for relatives. No international guidelines exist to harmonise management approaches to this particular clinical scenario.

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  • * In a study of 1091 adult patients, 12.9% had KMT2A-r, with a 5-year relapse rate of 40.7% and overall survival rate of 53.3%. The presence of specific gene alterations like TP53 and IKZF1 correlated with significantly worse outcomes.
  • * The analysis showed that measuring minimal residual disease (MRD) using KMT2A markers was more reliable than other methods, indicating that patients responding well early
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Genetic testing has been applied for decades in clinical routine diagnostics of hematological malignancies to improve disease (sub)classification, prognostication, patient management, and survival. In recent classifications of hematological malignancies, disease subtypes are defined by key recurrent genetic alterations detected by conventional methods (i.e.

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Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder associated with developmental defects, bone marrow failure and cancer. The FA pathway is crucial for the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). In this study, we have developed and characterized a new tool to investigate ICL repair: a clickable version of the crosslinking agent melphalan which we name click-melphalan.

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Tandem duplications (TDs) of the UBTF gene have been recently described as a recurrent alteration in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, by screening 1946 newly diagnosed adult AML, we found that UBTF-TDs occur in about 3% of patients aged 18-60 years, in a mutually exclusive pattern with other known AML subtype-defining alterations. The characteristics of 59 adults with UBTF-TD AML included young age (median 37 years), low bone marrow (BM) blast infiltration (median 25%), and high rates of WT1 mutations (61%), FLT3-ITDs (51%) and trisomy 8 (29%).

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Biallelic germ line excision repair cross-complementing 6 like 2 (ERCC6L2) variants strongly predispose to bone marrow failure (BMF) and myeloid malignancies, characterized by somatic TP53-mutated clones and erythroid predominance. We present a series of 52 subjects (35 families) with ERCC6L2 biallelic germ line variants collected retrospectively from 11 centers globally, with a follow-up of 1165 person-years. At initial investigations, 32 individuals were diagnosed with BMF and 15 with a hematological malignancy (HM).

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  • The role and timing of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in treating acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) have been debated for decades, with reliance on the European LeukemiaNet classification for treatment strategies.
  • A study found that HSCT significantly improved overall survival for intermediate- and poor-risk AML patients, particularly younger patients, while showing low cumulative incidence rates for older groups due to factors like comorbidities and eligibility.
  • With increasing access to various donor types, including haploidentical ones, the role of HSCT in AML treatment may evolve, potentially increasing transplant numbers in adult patients.
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  • Inborn errors affecting the immune response to IFN-γ lead to mycobacterial diseases, while errors in IFN-α/β impact defense against viral infections.
  • A study of children with complete IRF1 deficiency showed they suffered from severe mycobacterial infections but displayed normal responses to various viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
  • IRF1 plays a crucial role in the immune response to mycobacteria, enhancing IFN-γ responses, while its absence does not significantly hinder antiviral defenses associated with IFN-α/β.
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  • Patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) show chromosome instability, leading to exhaustion of hematopoietic stem cells and a higher risk of developing poor-prognosis myeloid leukemia.
  • A study involving 62 patients revealed unique mutations and structural variants that resemble BRCA-related cancers, with many patients showing chromosome 1q gain linked to MDM4 trisomy, which downregulates p53 signaling.
  • MDM4 triplication not only enhances the survival of FA stem cells but also promotes leukemia development, suggesting that targeting MDM4 could be a potential therapeutic strategy to disrupt this pathway.
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Biallelic germline mutations in BRCA2 occur in the Fanconi anemia (FA)-D1 subtype of the rare pediatric disorder, FA, characterized clinically by severe congenital abnormalities and a very high propensity to develop malignancies early in life. Clinical and genetic data from 96 FA-D1 patients with biallelic BRCA2 mutations were collected and used to develop a new cancer risk prediction score system based on the specific mutations in BRCA2. This score takes into account the location of frameshift/stop and missense mutations relative to exon 11 of BRCA2, which encodes the major sites for interaction with the RAD51 recombinase, and uses the MaxEnt and HBond splicing scores to analyze potential splice site perturbations.

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Unlabelled: Low hypodiploidy defines a rare subtype of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with a dismal outcome. To investigate the genomic basis of low-hypodiploid ALL (LH-ALL) in adults, we analyzed copy-number aberrations, loss of heterozygosity, mutations, and cytogenetics data in a prospective cohort of Philadelphia (Ph)-negative B-ALL patients (n = 591, ages 18-84 years), allowing us to identify 80 LH-ALL cases (14%). Genomic analysis was critical for evidencing low hypodiploidy in many cases missed by cytogenetics.

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Patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) are susceptible to complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis and thrombosis. Factor H (FH) is the main regulator of the complement alternative pathway, which protects cells from unwanted complement-mediated damage. Although FH is not a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked molecule, it may play a role in PNH.

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Purpose: Secondary myeloid neoplasms (sMNs) remain the most serious long-term complications in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). However, sMNs lack specific predictors, dedicated surveillance measures, and early therapeutic interventions.

Patients And Methods: We studied a multicenter, retrospective cohort of 1,008 patients (median follow-up 8.

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  • DDX41 germline mutations are a common cause of a type of cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
  • In a study of 191 patients with these mutations, it was found that most were older men with specific characteristics like low white blood cell counts and fewer genetic changes.
  • Patients with these mutations had higher chances of getting better with treatment (94% complete remission) and lived longer compared to those without the mutation, but their chances of relapse became similar after a few years.
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  • The study investigates B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in adults to identify new genetic drivers behind the disease through RNA sequencing and whole-genome analyses, revealing a novel subtype with a distinct gene expression.
  • This new subtype features unique genomic microdeletions, leading to a fusion of UBTF and ATXN7L3 genes, as well as deregulation of the CDX2 gene due to enhancer hijacking mechanisms.
  • Patients with this subtype (CDX2/UBTF ALL) are typically younger, predominantly female, exhibit poor treatment responses, and have a higher risk of disease relapse compared to other B-ALL patients.
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  • Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder that can cause problems like failing bone marrow and a higher risk of cancer.
  • A new study tested using two medicines, G-CSF and plerixafor, to help collect stem cells from people with FA for gene therapy.
  • The results showed that this method was safe and helped gather stem cells more effectively, especially in younger patients without severe bone marrow issues.
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Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia is a rare subtype of leukemia in which both myeloid and lymphoid markers are co-expressed on the same malignant cells. The pathogenesis is largely unknown, and the treatment is challenging. We previously reported the specific association of the recurrent t(8;12)(q13;p13) chromosomal translocation that creates the ETV6-NCOA2 fusion with T/myeloid leukemias.

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