Biology subjects

Chien, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Chien, F..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Single-cell analysis of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia samples uncovers treatment-resistant stem and mast cells

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (pAML) is a heterogeneous malignancy driven by diverse cytogenetic mutations. While risk stratification improved by identifying cytogenetic lesions, prognostication remains inadequate with 30% of standard-risk patients experiencing relapse within 5 years. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) enabled the interrogation of malignant cell heterogeneity in pAML and characterization of the immune microenvironment. Herein we report the largest pAML scRNAseq analysis to date with 708,285 cells from 164 bone marrow biopsies of 95 patients and 11 healthy controls. We uncovered treatment-resistant (TR) subtypes of pAML specific to RUNX1-RUNX1T1, FLT3-ITD, and CBFB-MYH11 patients. The enrichment of TR subtype gene signatures on the TARGET pAML data supported an association with significantly poor outcomes. Intriguingly, in addition to leukemic stem cells, we identified mast cell-like pAML associated with treatment resistance and poor outcomes. Together, immature and mature pAML subtypes are promising biomarkers for identifying patients at increased risk of relapse within cytogenetic categories.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Medulloblastoma Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity with High-Density Progenitor Cell Regions Correlating with High-Risk Disease

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of medulloblastoma (MB) influences progression and therapy response, presenting a promising target for therapeutic advances. Prior single-cell analyses have characterized the cellular components of the TME but lack spatial context. To address this, we performed spatial transcriptomic sequencing on sixteen pediatric MB samples obtained at diagnosis, including two matched diagnosis-relapse pairs. Our analyses revealed inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity within the TME, comprised of tumor-associated astrocytes (TAAs), macrophages (TAMs), stromal components, and distinct subpopulations of MB cells at different stages of neuronal differentiation and cell cycle progression. We identified dense regions of quiescent progenitor-like MB cells enriched in patients with high-risk (HR) features and an increase in TAAs, TAMs, and dysregulated vascular endothelium following relapse. Our study presents novel insights into the spatial architecture and cellular landscape of the medulloblastoma TME, highlighting spatial patterns linked to HR features and relapse, which may serve as potential therapeutic targets.

cancer biology↗