A Probe-Free Occupancy Assay to Assess a Targeted Covalent Inhibitor of Receptor Tyrosine-Protein Kinase erbB-2.

Establishing target engagement is fundamental to effective target-based drug development. It paves the way for efficient medicinal chemistry design and definitive answers about target validation in the clinic. For irreversible targeted covalent inhibitor (TCI) drugs, there is a unique opportunity to establish and quantify the target engagement or occupancy.

MGMT-Methylation in Non-Neoplastic Diseases of the Central Nervous System.

Quantifying O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation plays an essential role in assessing the potential efficacy of alkylating agents in the chemotherapy of malignant gliomas. MGMT promoter methylation is considered to be a characteristic of subgroups of certain malignancies but has also been described in various peripheral inflammatory diseases. However, MGMT promoter methylation levels have not yet been investigated in non-neoplastic brain diseases.

Detection of gene fusions using targeted next-generation sequencing: a comparative evaluation.

Background: Gene fusions represent promising targets for cancer therapy in lung cancer. Reliable detection of multiple gene fusions is therefore essential.

Methods: Five commercially available parallel sequencing assays were evaluated for their ability to detect gene fusions in eight cell lines and 18 FFPE tissue samples carrying a variety of known gene fusions.

Biweekly Cetuximab Plus FOLFOX6 as First-Line Therapy in Patients With RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The CEBIFOX Trial.

Background: The multicenter, single-arm, phase II study CEBIFOX evaluated the efficacy of a biweekly cetuximab administration in combination with FOLFOX6 as first-line therapy in KRAS (exon 2) wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Patients And Methods: Patients received FOLFOX6 with cetuximab (500 mg/m) every second week. Primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), among others secondary endpoints were safety, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and patient-reported outcome (PRO).

KIT-Dependent and KIT-Independent Genomic Heterogeneity of Resistance in Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors - TORC1/2 Inhibition as Salvage Strategy.

Sporadic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), characterized by activating mutations of or , favorably respond to KIT inhibitory treatment but eventually become resistant. The development of effective salvage treatments is complicated by the heterogeneity of secondary resistance mutations. Recently, additional mutations that independently activate KIT-downstream signaling have been found in pretreated patients-adding further complexity to the scope of resistance.