@article{SchilbachAlkhaledWelkeretal.2015, author = {Schilbach, Karin and Alkhaled, Mohammed and Welker, Christian and Eckert, Franziska and Blank, Gregor and Ziegler, Hendrik and Sterk, Marco and M{\"u}ller, Friederike and Sonntag, Katja and Wieder, Thomas and Braum{\"u}ller, Heidi and Schmitt, Julia and Eyrich, Matthias and Schleicher, Sabine and Seitz, Christian and Erbacher, Annika and Pichler, Bernd J. and M{\"u}ller, Hartmut and Tighe, Robert and Lim, Annick and Gillies, Stephen D. and Strittmatter, Wolfgang and R{\"o}cken, Martin and Handgretinger, Rupert}, title = {Cancer-targeted IL-12 controls human rhabdomyosarcoma by senescence induction and myogenic differentiation}, series = {OncoImmunology}, volume = {4}, journal = {OncoImmunology}, number = {7}, doi = {10.1080/2162402X.2015.1014760}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154579}, pages = {e1014760}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Stimulating the immune system to attack cancer is a promising approach, even for the control of advanced cancers. Several cytokines that promote interferon-γ-dominated immune responses show antitumor activity, with interleukin 12 (IL-12) being of major importance. Here, we used an antibody-IL-12 fusion protein (NHS-IL12) that binds histones of necrotic cells to treat human sarcoma in humanized mice. Following sarcoma engraftment, NHS-IL12 therapy was combined with either engineered IL-7 (FcIL-7) or IL-2 (IL-2MAB602) for continuous cytokine bioavailability. NHS-IL12 strongly induced innate and adaptive antitumor immunity when combined with IL-7 or IL-2. NHS-IL12 therapy significantly improved survival of sarcoma-bearing mice and caused long-term remissions when combined with IL-2. NHS-IL12 induced pronounced cancer cell senescence, as documented by strong expression of senescence-associated p16\(^{INK4a}\) and nuclear translocation of p-HP1γ, and permanent arrest of cancer cell proliferation. In addition, this cancer immunotherapy initiated the induction of myogenic differentiation, further promoting the hypothesis that efficient antitumor immunity includes mechanisms different from cytotoxicity for efficient cancer control in vivo.}, language = {en} } @article{ZlamyAlmanzarParsonetal.2016, author = {Zlamy, Manuela and Almanzar, Giovanni and Parson, Walther and Schmidt, Christian and Leierer, Johannes and Weinberger, Birgit and Jeller, Verena and Unsinn, Karin and Eyrich, Matthias and W{\"u}rzner, Reinhard and Prelog, Martina}, title = {Efforts of the human immune system to maintain the peripheral CD8+ T cell compartment after childhood thymectomy}, series = {Immunity \& Ageing}, volume = {13}, journal = {Immunity \& Ageing}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1186/s12979-016-0058-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146497}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background Homeostatic mechanisms to maintain the T cell compartment diversity indicate an ongoing process of thymic activity and peripheral T cell renewal during human life. These processes are expected to be accelerated after childhood thymectomy and by the influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) inducing a prematurely aged immune system. The study aimed to investigate proportional changes and replicative history of CD8+ T cells, of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) and CD103+ T cells (mostly gut-experienced) and the role of Interleukin-(IL)-7 and IL-7 receptor (CD127)-expressing T cells in thymectomized patients compared to young and old healthy controls. Results Decreased proportions of naive and CD31 + CD8+ T cells were demonstrated after thymectomy, with higher proliferative activity of CD127-expressing T cells and significantly shorter relative telomere lengths (RTLs) and lower T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs). Increased circulating CD103+ T cells and a skewed T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire were found after thymectomy similar to elderly persons. Naive T cells were influenced by age at thymectomy and further decreased by CMV. Conclusions After childhood thymectomy, the immune system demonstrated constant efforts of the peripheral CD8+ T cell compartment to maintain homeostasis. Supposedly it tries to fill the void of RTEs by peripheral T cell proliferation, by at least partly IL-7-mediated mechanisms and by proportional increase of circulating CD103+ T cells, reminiscent of immune aging in elderly. Although other findings were less significant compared to healthy elderly, early thymectomy demonstrated immunological alterations of CD8+ T cells which mimic features of premature immunosenescence in humans.}, language = {en} } @article{DietlSchwinnDietletal.2016, author = {Dietl, Sebastian and Schwinn, Stefanie and Dietl, Susanne and Riedl, Simone and Deinlein, Frank and Rutkowski, Stefan and von Bueren, Andre O. and Krauss, J{\"u}rgen and Schweitzer, Tilmann and Vince, Giles H. and Picard, Daniel and Eyrich, Matthias and Rosenwald, Andreas and Ramaswamy, Vijay and Taylor, Michael D. and Remke, Marc and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Beilhack, Andreas and Schlegel, Paul G. and W{\"o}lfl, Matthias}, title = {MB3W1 is an orthotopic xenograft model for anaplastic medulloblastoma displaying cancer stem cell- and Group 3-properties}, series = {BMC Cancer}, volume = {16}, journal = {BMC Cancer}, number = {115}, doi = {10.1186/s12885-016-2170-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145877}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and can be divided in different molecular subgroups. Patients whose tumor is classified as a Group 3 tumor have a dismal prognosis. However only very few tumor models are available for this subgroup. Methods We established a robust orthotopic xenograft model with a cell line derived from the malignant pleural effusions of a child suffering from a Group 3 medulloblastoma. Results Besides classical characteristics of this tumor subgroup, the cells display cancer stem cell characteristics including neurosphere formation, multilineage differentiation, CD133/CD15 expression, high ALDH-activity and high tumorigenicity in immunocompromised mice with xenografts exactly recapitulating the original tumor architecture. Conclusions This model using unmanipulated, human medulloblastoma cells will enable translational research, specifically focused on Group 3 medulloblastoma.}, language = {en} } @article{ZipfelEyrichSchlegeletal.2016, author = {Zipfel, Julian and Eyrich, Matthias and Schlegel, Paul-Gerhardt and Wiegering, Verena}, title = {Disturbed B cell and DC-Homeostasis in Pediatric cGVHD Patients-Cocultivation Experiments and Review of the Literature}, series = {Clinics in Oncology}, volume = {1}, journal = {Clinics in Oncology}, number = {1097}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147914}, year = {2016}, abstract = {B cells and DCs are suspected to play an important role in the pathogenesis of cGvHD, which is a serious complication of HSCT with high morbidity. It is characterized by immune responses of donor immune cells against recipient-derived antigens. athogenesis is not yet fully understood, however reconstitution of B cells after HSCT has similarities to physiologic ontogeny. Immunophenotyping and co-cultivation-experiments of B cells and DCs from pediatric patients with cGvHD as well as healthy donors were conducted. Significant differences between patients and healthy donors were observed with increased memory, transitional, CD69+ and CD86+ phenotype and lower levels of na{\"i}ve B cells due to apoptosis. Co-cultivation revealed this to be primarily B cell-dependent without major effects of and with DCs. There was a decreased CD11c- phenotype in patients and less apoptosis of DCs. Our data suggest a disturbed homeostasis in B cells with increased memory phenotype in patients, whereas DCs could not influence these differences, therefore DCs are not imposing as promising targets. B cell-dependent approaches should be further investigated.}, language = {en} } @article{WiegeringSchickBeeretal.2011, author = {Wiegering, Verena and Schick, Judith and Beer, Meinrad and Gattenl{\"o}hner, Stefan and Girschick, Hermann and Liese, Johannes and Schlegel, Paul and Eyrich, Matthias}, title = {Varicella-zoster virus infections in immunocompromised patients - a single centre 6-years analysis}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68723}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Background: Infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) contemporaneously with malignant disease or immunosuppression represents a particular challenge and requires individualized decisions and treatment. Although the increasing use of varicella-vaccines in the general population and rapid initiation of VZVimmunoglobulins and acyclovir in case of exposure has been beneficial for some patients, immunocompromised individuals are still at risk for unfavourable courses. Methods: In this single center, 6-year analysis we review incidence, hospitalization and complication rates of VZVinfections in our center and compare them to published data. Furthermore, we report three instructive cases. Results: Hospitalization rate of referred children with VZV-infections was 45\%, among these 17\% with malignancies and 9\% under immunosuppressive therapy. Rate of complications was not elevated in these two high-risk cohorts, but one ALL-patient died due to VZV-related complications. We report one 4-year old boy with initial diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia who showed a rapidly fatal outcome of his simultaneous varicella-infection, one 1.8-year old boy with an identical situation but a mild course of his disease, and an 8.5-year old boy with a steroiddependent nephrotic syndrome. This boy developed severe hepatic involvement during his varicella-infection but responded to immediate withdrawl of steroids and administration of acyclovir plus single-dose cidofovir after nonresponse to acyclovir after 48 h. Conclusion: Our data show that patients with malignant diseases or immunosuppressive therapy should be hospitalized and treated immediately with antiviral agents. Despite these measures the course of VZV-infections can be highly variable in these patients. We discuss aids to individual decision-making for these difficult situations.}, subject = {Varizellen-Virus}, language = {en} } @article{WiegeringAndresSchlegeletal.2013, author = {Wiegering, Verena and Andres, Oliver and Schlegel, Paul G. and Deinlein, Frank and Eyrich, Matthias and Sturm, Alexander}, title = {Hyperfibrinolysis and acquired factor XIII deficiency in newly diagnosed pediatric malignancies}, series = {Haematologica}, volume = {98}, journal = {Haematologica}, number = {8}, doi = {10.3324/haematol.2013.089045}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130569}, pages = {E90-E91}, year = {2013}, abstract = {No abstract available}, language = {en} } @article{EyrichRachorSchreiberetal.2013, author = {Eyrich, Matthias and Rachor, Johannes and Schreiber, Susanne C. and W{\"o}lfl, Matthias and Schlegel, Paul G.}, title = {Dendritic cell vaccination in pediatric gliomas: lessons learnt and future perspectives}, series = {Frontiers in Pediatrics}, journal = {Frontiers in Pediatrics}, doi = {10.3389/fped.2013.00012}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96937}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Immunotherapy of malignant gliomas with autologous dendritic cells (DCs) in addition to surgery and radiochemotherapy has been a focus of intense research during the past decade. Since both children and adults are affected by this highly aggressive brain tumor, 10-15\% of the several hundred vaccinated patients represent children, making pediatric glioma patients the largest uniform pediatric vaccination cohort so far. In general, DC vaccination in malignant gliomas has been shown to be safe and several studies with a non-vaccinated control group could clearly demonstrate a survival benefit for the vaccinated patients. Interestingly, children and adolescents below 21 years of age seem to benefit even more than adult patients. This review summarizes the findings of the 25 clinical trials published so far and gives a perspective how DC vaccination could be implemented as part of multimodal therapeutic strategies in the near future.}, language = {en} } @article{WiegeringSchmidAndresetal.2014, author = {Wiegering, Verena and Schmid, Sophie and Andres, Oliver and Wirth, Clemens and Wiegering, Armin and Meyer, Thomas and Winkler, Beate and Schlegel, Paul G. and Eyrich, Matthias}, title = {Thrombosis as a complication of central venous access in pediatric patients with malignancies: a 5-year single-center experience}, doi = {10.1186/2052-1839-14-18}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110476}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Reliable central venous access (CVC) is essential for hematology-oncology patients since frequent puncture of peripheral veins—e.g., for chemotherapy, antibiotic administration, repeated blood sampling, and monitoring—can cause unacceptable pain and psychological trauma, as well as severe side effects in cases of extravasation of chemotherapy drugs. However, CVC lines still carry major risk factors, including thrombosis, infection (e.g., entry site, tunnel, and luminal infections), and catheter dislocation, leakage, or breakage. Methods Here we performed a retrospective database analysis to determine the incidence of CVC-associated thrombosis in a single-center cohort of 448 pediatric oncologic patients, and to analyze whether any subgroup of patients was at increased risk and thus might benefit from prophylactic anticoagulation. Results Of the 448 patients, 269 consecutive patients received a CVC, and 55 of these 269 patients (20\%) also had a thrombosis. Of these 55 patients, 43 had at least one CVC-associated thrombosis (total number of CVC-associated thrombosis: n = 52). Among all patients, the median duration of CVC exposure was 464 days. Regarding exposure time, no significant difference was found between patients with and without CVC-associated thrombosis. Subclavia catheters and advanced tumor stages seem to be the main risk factors for the development of CVC-associated thrombosis, whereas pharmacologic prophylaxis did not seem to have a relevant impact on the rate of thrombosis. Conclusions We conclude that pediatric surgeons and oncologists should pay close attention to ensuring optimal and accurate CVC placement, as this appears the most effective tool to minimize CVC-associated complications.}, language = {en} } @article{SonntagHashimotoEyrichetal.2018, author = {Sonntag, Katja and Hashimoto, Hisayoshi and Eyrich, Matthias and Menzel, Moritz and Schubach, Max and D{\"o}cker, Dennis and Battke, Florian and Courage, Carolina and Lambertz, Helmut and Handgretinger, Rupert and Biskup, Saskia and Schilbach, Karin}, title = {Immune monitoring and TCR sequencing of CD4 T cells in a long term responsive patient with metastasized pancreatic ductal carcinoma treated with individualized, neoepitope-derived multipeptide vaccines: a case report}, series = {Journal of Translational Medicine}, volume = {16}, journal = {Journal of Translational Medicine}, doi = {10.1186/s12967-018-1382-1}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-239276}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background Cancer vaccines can effectively establish clinically relevant tumor immunity. Novel sequencing approaches rapidly identify the mutational fingerprint of tumors, thus allowing to generate personalized tumor vaccines within a few weeks from diagnosis. Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old patient receiving a four-peptide-vaccine targeting the two sole mutations of his pancreatic tumor, identified via exome sequencing. Methods Vaccination started during chemotherapy in second complete remission and continued monthly thereafter. We tracked IFN-γ+ T cell responses against vaccine peptides in peripheral blood after 12, 17 and 34 vaccinations by analyzing T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire diversity and epitope-binding regions of peptide-reactive T-cell lines and clones. By restricting analysis to sorted IFN-γ-producing T cells we could assure epitope-specificity, functionality, and TH1 polarization. Results A peptide-specific T-cell response against three of the four vaccine peptides could be detected sequentially. Molecular TCR analysis revealed a broad vaccine-reactive TCR repertoire with clones of discernible specificity. Four identical or convergent TCR sequences could be identified at more than one time-point, indicating timely persistence of vaccine-reactive T cells. One dominant TCR expressing a dual TCRVα chain could be found in three T-cell clones. The observed T-cell responses possibly contributed to clinical outcome: The patient is alive 6 years after initial diagnosis and in complete remission for 4 years now. Conclusions Therapeutic vaccination with a neoantigen-derived four-peptide vaccine resulted in a diverse and long-lasting immune response against these targets which was associated with prolonged clinical remission. These data warrant confirmation in a larger proof-of concept clinical trial.}, language = {en} } @article{SalzmannManriqueBremmHueneckeetal.2018, author = {Salzmann-Manrique, Emilia and Bremm, Melanie and Huenecke, Sabine and Stech, Milena and Orth, Andreas and Eyrich, Matthias and Schulz, Ansgar and Esser, Ruth and Klingebiel, Thomas and Bader, Peter and Herrmann, Eva and Koehl, Ulrike}, title = {Joint Modeling of Immune Reconstitution Post Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation in Pediatric Patients With Acute Leukemia Comparing CD34(+)-Selected to CD3/CD19-Depleted Grafts in a Retrospective Multicenter Study}, series = {frontiers in Immunology}, volume = {9}, journal = {frontiers in Immunology}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2018.01841}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227302}, pages = {1841, 1-12}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Rapid immune reconstitution (IR) following stem cell transplantation (SCT) is essential for a favorable outcome. The optimization of graft composition should not only enable a sufficient IR but also improve graft vs. leukemia/tumor effects, overcome infectious complications and, finally, improve patient survival. Especially in haploidentical SCT, the optimization of graft composition is controversial. Therefore, we analyzed the influence of graft manipulation on IR in 40 patients with acute leukemia in remission. We examined the cell recovery post haploidentical SCT in patients receiving a CD34(+)-selected or CD3/CD19-depleted graft, considering the applied conditioning regimen. We used joint model analysis for overall survival (OS) and analyzed the dynamics of age-adjusted leukocytes; lymphocytes; monocytes; CD3(+), CD3(+) CD4(+), and CD3(+) CD8(+) T cells; natural killer (NK) cells; and B cells over the course of time after SCT. Lymphocytes, NK cells, and B cells expanded more rapidly after SCT with CD34(+)-selected grafts (P = 0.036, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001, respectively). Contrarily, CD3(+) CD4(+) helper T cells recovered delayer in the CD34 selected group (P = 0.026). Furthermore, reduced intensity conditioning facilitated faster immune recovery of lymphocytes and T cells and their subsets (P < 0.001). However, the immune recovery for NK cells and B cells was comparable for patients who received reduced-intensity or full preparative regimens. Dynamics of all cell types had a significant influence on OS, which did not differ between patients receiving CD34(+)-selected and those receiving CD3/CD19-depleted grafts. In conclusion, cell reconstitution dynamics showed complex diversity with regard to the graft manufacturing procedure and conditioning regimen.}, language = {en} } @article{HellmannLotherWursteretal.2017, author = {Hellmann, Anna-Maria and Lother, Jasmin and Wurster, Sebastian and Lutz, Manfred B. and Schmitt, Anna Lena and Morton, Charles Oliver and Eyrich, Matthias and Czakai, Kristin and Einsele, Hermann and Loeffler, Juergen}, title = {Human and Murine Innate Immune Cell Populations Display Common and Distinct Response Patterns during Their In Vitro Interaction with the Pathogenic Mold Aspergillus fumigatus}, series = {Frontiers in Immunology}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in Immunology}, number = {1716}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2017.01716}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169926}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Aspergillus fumigatus is the main cause of invasive fungal infections occurring almost exclusively in immunocompromised patients. An improved understanding of the initial innate immune response is key to the development of better diagnostic tools and new treatment options. Mice are commonly used to study immune defense mechanisms during the infection of the mammalian host with A. fumigatus. However, little is known about functional differences between the human and murine immune response against this fungal pathogen. Thus, we performed a comparative functional analysis of human and murine dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) using standardized and reproducible working conditions, laboratory protocols, and readout assays. A. fumigatus did not provoke identical responses in murine and human immune cells but rather initiated relatively specific responses. While human DCs showed a significantly stronger upregulation of their maturation markers and major histocompatibility complex molecules and phagocytosed A. fumigatus more efficiently compared to their murine counterparts, murine PMNs and macrophages exhibited a significantly stronger release of reactive oxygen species after exposure to A. fumigatus. For all studied cell types, human and murine samples differed in their cytokine response to conidia or germ tubes of A. fumigatus. Furthermore, Dectin-1 showed inverse expression patterns on human and murine DCs after fungal stimulation. These specific differences should be carefully considered and highlight potential limitations in the transferability of murine host-pathogen interaction studies.}, language = {en} } @article{GierlichLexTechnauetal.2020, author = {Gierlich, Philipp and Lex, Veronika and Technau, Antje and Keupp, Anne and Morper, Lorenz and Glunz, Amelie and Sennholz, Hanno and Rachor, Johannes and Sauer, Sascha and Marcu, Ana and Grigoleit, G{\"o}tz Ulrich and W{\"o}lfl, Matthias and Schlegel, Paul G. and Eyrich, Matthias}, title = {Prostaglandin E\(_2\) in a TLR3‑ and 7/8‑agonist‑based DC maturation cocktail generates mature, cytokine‑producing, migratory DCs but impairs antigen cross‑presentation to CD8\(^+\) T cells}, series = {Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy}, volume = {69}, journal = {Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy}, issn = {0340-7004}, doi = {10.1007/s00262-019-02470-1}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232311}, pages = {1029-1042}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Mature dendritic cells (DCs) represent cellular adjuvants for optimal antigen presentation in cancer vaccines. Recently, a combination of prostaglandin E\(_2\) (PGE\(_2\)) with Toll-like receptor agonists (TLR-P) was proposed as a new standard to generate superior cytokine-producing DCs with high migratory capacity. Here, we compare TLR-P DCs with conventional DCs matured only with the proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1ß (CDCs), focussing on the interaction of resulting DCs with CD8\(^+\) T-cells. TLR-P matured DCs showed elevated expression of activation markers such as CD80 and CD83 compared to CDCs, together with a significantly higher migration capacity. Secretion of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12 was highest after 16 h in TLR-P DCs, and only TLR-P DCs secreted active IL-12p70. TLR-P DCs as well as CDCs successfully primed multifunctional CD8\(^+\) T-cells from na{\"i}ve precursors specific for the peptide antigens Melan-A, NLGN4X, and PTP with comparable priming efficacy and T-cell receptor avidity. CD8\(^+\) T-cells primed by TLR-P DCs showed significantly elevated expression of the integrin VLA-4 and a trend for higher T-cell numbers after expansion. In contrast, TLR-P DCs displayed a substantially reduced capability to cross-present CMVpp65 protein antigen to pp65-specific T cells, an effect that was dose-dependent on PGE2 during DC maturation and reproducible with several responder T-cell lines. In conclu-sion, TLR-P matured DCs might be optimal presenters of antigens not requiring processing such as short peptides. However, PGE\(_2\) seems less favorable for maturation of DCs intended to process and cross-present more complex vaccine antigens such as lysates, proteins or long peptides.}, language = {en} } @article{KrakowCrescimoneBartelsetal.2019, author = {Krakow, S{\"o}ren and Crescimone, Marie L. and Bartels, Charlotte and Wiegering, Verena and Eyrich, Matthias and Schlegel, Paul G. and W{\"o}lfl, Matthias}, title = {Re-expression of CD14 in response to a combined IL-10/TLR stimulus defines monocyte-derived cells with an immunoregulatory phenotype}, series = {Frontiers in Immunology}, volume = {10}, journal = {Frontiers in Immunology}, number = {1484}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2019.01484}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201537}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Interleukin 10 is a central regulator of the antigen-presenting function of myeloid cells. It exerts immunomodulatory effects in vivo and induces a regulatory phenotype in monocyte-derived cells in vitro. We analyzed phenotype and function of monocytic cells in vitro in relation to the cytokine milieu and the timing of TLR-based activation. In GM-CSF/IL-4 cultured human monocytic cells, we identified two, mutually exclusive cell populations arising from undifferentiated cells: CD83\(^+\) fully activated dendritic cells and CD14\(^+\) macrophage like cells. Re-expression of CD14 occurs primarily after a sequential trigger with a TLR signal following IL-10 preincubation. This cell population with re-expressed CD14 greatly differs in phenotype and function from the CD83+ cells. Detailed analysis of individual subpopulations reveals that exogenous IL-10 is critical for inducing the shift toward the CD14\(^+\) population, but does not affect individual changes in marker expression or cell function in most cases. Thus, plasticity of CD14 expression, defining a subset of immunoregulatory cells, is highly relevant for the composition of cellular products (such as DC vaccines) as it affects the function of the total product.}, language = {en} } @article{SpringerHeldMengolietal.2021, author = {Springer, Jan and Held, J{\"u}rgen and Mengoli, Carlo and Schlegel, Paul Gerhardt and Gamon, Florian and Tr{\"a}ger, Johannes and Kurzai, Oliver and Einsele, Hermann and Loeffler, Juergen and Eyrich, Matthias}, title = {Diagnostic performance of (1→3)-β-D-glucan alone and in combination with aspergillus PCR and galactomannan in serum of pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation}, series = {Journal of Fungi}, volume = {7}, journal = {Journal of Fungi}, number = {3}, issn = {2309-608X}, doi = {10.3390/jof7030238}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234179}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Data on biomarker-assisted diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in pediatric patients is scarce. Therefore, we conducted a cohort study over two years including 404 serum specimens of 26 pediatric patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Sera were tested prospectively twice weekly for Aspergillus-specific DNA, galactomannan (GM), and retrospectively for (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG). Three probable IA and two possible invasive fungal disease (IFD) cases were identified using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group (EORTC/MSGERC) 2019 consensus definitions. Sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis of probable IA and possible IFD was 80\% (95\% confidential interval (CI): 28-99\%) and 55\% (95\% CI: 32-77\%) for BDG, 40\% (95\% CI: 5-85\%) and 100\% (95\% CI: 83-100\%) for GM, and 60\% (95\% CI: 15-95\%) and 95\% (95\% CI: 75-100\%) for Aspergillus-specific real-time PCR. However, sensitivities have to be interpreted with great caution due to the limited number of IA cases. Interestingly, the low specificity of BDG was largely caused by false-positive BDG results that clustered around the date of alloSCT. The following strategies were able to increase BDG specificity: two consecutive positive BDG tests for diagnosis (specificity 80\% (95\% CI: 56-94\%)); using an optimized cutoff value of 306 pg/mL (specificity 90\% (95\% CI: 68-99\%)) and testing BDG only after the acute posttransplant phase. In summary, BDG can help to diagnose IA in pediatric alloSCT recipients. However, due to the poor specificity either an increased cutoff value should be utilized or BDG results should be confirmed by an alternative Aspergillus assay.}, language = {en} } @article{NemesJohannSteinbuegletal.2022, author = {Nemes, Karolina and Johann, Pascal D. and Steinb{\"u}gl, Mona and Gruhle, Miriam and Bens, Susanne and Kachanov, Denis and Teleshova, Margarita and Hauser, Peter and Simon, Thorsten and Tippelt, Stephan and Eberl, Wolfgang and Chada, Martin and Lopez, Vicente Santa-Maria and Grigull, Lorenz and Hern{\´a}iz-Driever, Pablo and Eyrich, Matthias and Pears, Jane and Milde, Till and Reinhard, Harald and Leipold, Alfred and van de Wetering, Marianne and Gil-da-Costa, Maria Jo{\~a}o and Ebetsberger-Dachs, Georg and Kerl, Kornelius and Lemmer, Andreas and Boztug, Heidrun and Furtw{\"a}ngler, Rhoikos and Kordes, Uwe and Vokuhl, Christian and Hasselblatt, Martin and Bison, Brigitte and Kr{\"o}ncke, Thomas and Melchior, Patrick and Timmermann, Beate and Gerss, Joachim and Siebert, Reiner and Fr{\"u}hwald, Michael C.}, title = {Infants and newborns with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) and extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumors (eMRT) in the EU-RHAB registry: a unique and challenging population}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {14}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {9}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers14092185}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270730}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Introduction: Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) predominantly affect infants and young children. Patients below six months of age represent a particularly therapeutically challenging group. Toxicity to developing organ sites limits intensity of treatment. Information on prognostic factors, genetics, toxicity of treatment and long-term outcomes is sparse. Methods: Clinical, genetic, and treatment data of 100 patients (aged below 6 months at diagnosis) from 13 European countries were analyzed (2005-2020). Tumors and matching blood samples were examined for SMARCB1 mutations using FISH, MLPA and Sanger sequencing. DNA methylation subgroups (ATRT-TYR, ATRT-SHH, and ATRT-MYC) were determined using 450 k / 850 k-profiling. Results: A total of 45 patients presented with ATRT, 29 with extracranial, extrarenal (eMRT) and 9 with renal rhabdoid tumors (RTK). Seventeen patients demonstrated synchronous tumors (SYN). Metastases (M+) were present in 27\% (26/97) at diagnosis. A germline mutation (GLM) was detected in 55\% (47/86). DNA methylation subgrouping was available in 50\% (31 / 62) with ATRT or SYN; for eMRT, methylation-based subgrouping was not performed. The 5-year overall (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rates were 23.5 ± 4.6\% and 19 ± 4.1\%, respectively. Male sex (11 ± 5\% vs. 35.8 ± 7.4\%), M+ stage (6.1 ± 5.4\% vs. 36.2 ± 7.4\%), presence of SYN (7.1 ± 6.9\% vs. 26.6 ± 5.3\%) and GLM (7.7 ± 4.2\% vs. 45.7 ± 8.6\%) were significant prognostic factors for 5-year OS. Molecular subgrouping and survival analyses confirm a previously described survival advantage for ATRT-TYR. In an adjusted multivariate model, clinical factors that favorably influence the prognosis were female sex, localized stage, absence of a GLM and maintenance therapy. Conclusions: In this cohort of homogenously treated infants with MRT, significant predictors of outcome were sex, M-stage, GLM and maintenance therapy. We confirm the need to stratify which patient groups benefit from multimodal treatment, and which need novel therapeutic strategies. Biomarker-driven tailored trials may be a key option.}, language = {en} } @article{HagemannNeuhausDahlmannetal.2019, author = {Hagemann, Carsten and Neuhaus, Nikolas and Dahlmann, Mathias and Kessler, Almuth F. and Kobelt, Dennis and Herrmann, Pia and Eyrich, Matthias and Freitag, Benjamin and Linsenmann, Thomas and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and L{\"o}hr, Mario and Stein, Ulrike}, title = {Circulating MACC1 transcripts in glioblastoma patients predict prognosis and treatment response}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {11}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {6}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers11060825}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-197327}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive primary brain tumor of adults, but lacksreliable and liquid biomarkers. We evaluated circulating plasma transcripts of metastasis-associatedin colon cancer-1 (MACC1), a prognostic biomarker for solid cancer entities, for prediction of clinicaloutcome and therapy response in glioblastomas. MACC1 transcripts were significantly higher inpatients compared to controls. Low MACC1 levels clustered together with other prognosticallyfavorable markers. It was associated with patients' prognosis in conjunction with the isocitratedehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status: IDH1 R132H mutation and low MACC1 was most favorable(median overall survival (OS) not yet reached), IDH1 wildtype and high MACC1 was worst (medianOS 8.1 months), while IDH1 wildtype and low MACC1 was intermediate (median OS 9.1 months).No patients displayed IDH1 R132H mutation and high MACC1. Patients with low MACC1 levelsreceiving standard therapy survived longer (median OS 22.6 months) than patients with high MACC1levels (median OS 8.1 months). Patients not receiving the standard regimen showed the worstprognosis, independent of MACC1 levels (low: 6.8 months, high: 4.4 months). Addition of circulatingMACC1 transcript levels to the existing prognostic workup may improve the accuracy of outcomeprediction and help define more precise risk categories of glioblastoma patients.}, language = {en} }