1. Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin is effective in BRAF mutated melanoma cells and interacts with BRAF inhibitorsTanja Jesenko, Lara Prosen, Maja Čemažar, Tjaša Potočnik, Gregor Serša, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: The aim of the study was to explore the effectiveness of electrochemotherapy (ECT) during the treatment of melanoma patients with BRAF inhibitors. Its effectiveness was tested on BRAF mutated and non-mutated melanoma cells in vitro and in combination with BRAF inhibitors. Materials and methods. ECT with bleomycin was performed on two human melanoma cell lines, with (SK-MEL-28) or without (CHL-1) BRAF V600E mutation. Cell survival was determined using clonogenic assay to determine the effectiveness of ECT in melanoma cells of different mutation status. Furthermore, the effectiveness of ECT in concomitant treatment with BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib was also determined in BRAF mutated cells SK-MEL-28 with clonogenic assay. Results. The survival of BRAF V600E mutated melanoma cells was even lower than non-mutated cells, indicating that ECT is effective regardless of the mutational status of melanoma cells. Furthermore, the synergistic interaction between vemurafenib and ECT with bleomycin was demonstrated in the BRAF V600E mutated melanoma cells. Conclusions. The effectiveness of ECT in BRAF mutated melanoma cells as well as potentiation of its effectiveness during the treatment with vemurafenib in vitro implies on clinical applicability of ECT in melanoma patients with BRAF mutation and/or during the treatment with BRAF inhibitors.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, BRAF inhibitors, vemurafenib, melanoma
Published in DiRROS: 30.04.2024; Views: 19; Downloads: 3
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2. Effectiveness of electrochemotherapy after IFN-[alpha] adjuvant therapy of melanoma patientsAndrejc Hribernik, Maja Čemažar, Gregor Serša, Maša Omerzel, Marko Snoj, 2016, original scientific article Abstract: The combination of electrochemotherapy with immuno-modulatory treatments has already been explored and proven effective. However, the role of interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) adjuvant therapy of melanoma patients and implication on electrochemotherapy effectiveness has not been explored yet. Therefore, the aim of the study was to retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electrochemotherapy after the previous adjuvant treatment with IFN-alpha in melanoma patients. Patients and methods. The study was a retrospective single-center observational analysis of the patients with advanced melanoma, treated with electrochemotherapy after previous IFN-alpha adjuvant therapy. Five patients, treated between January 2008 and December 2014, were included into the study, regardless of the time point of IFN-alpha adjuvant therapy. Results. Electrochemotherapy of recurrent melanoma after the IFN-alpha adjuvant therapy proved to be a safe and effective treatment. Patients with one or two metastases responded completely. Among patients with multiple metastases, there was a variable response rate. In one patient all 23 metastases responded completely, in second patient more than 85% of all together 80 metastases responded completely and in third patient all 5 metastases had partial response. Taking into account all metastases from all patients together there was an 85% complete response rate. Conclusions. The study showed that electrochemotherapy of recurrent melanoma after the IFN-alpha adjuvant therapy is a safe and effective treatment modality, which results in a high complete response rate, not only in single metastasis, but also in multiple metastases. The high complete response rate might be due to an IFN-alpha immune-editing effect, however, further studies with a larger number of patients are needed to support this presumption.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, IFN-alpha, melanoma
Published in DiRROS: 30.04.2024; Views: 13; Downloads: 2
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3. Adjuvant TNF-a therapy to electrochemotherapy with intravenous cisplatin in murine sarcoma exerts synergistic antitumor effectivenessMaja Čemažar, Vesna Todorović, Janez Ščančar, Urša Lampreht Tratar, Monika Savarin, Urška Kamenšek, Simona Kranjc Brezar, Andrej Cör, Gregor Serša, 2015, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Electrochemotherapy is a tumour ablation modality, based on electroporation of the cell membrane, allowing non-permeant anticancer drugs to enter the cell, thus augmenting their cytotoxicity by orders of magnitude. In preclinical studies, bleomycin and cisplatin proved to be the most suitable for clinical use. Intravenous administration of cisplatin for electrochemotherapy is still not widely accepted in the clinics, presumably due to its lower antitumor effectiveness, but adjuvant therapy by immunomodulatory or vascular-targeting agents could provide a way for its potentiation. Hence, the aim of the present study was to explore the possibility of adjuvant tumour necrosis factor % (TNF-%) therapy to potentiate antitumor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy with intravenous cisplatin administration in murine sarcoma. Materials and methods. In vivo study was designed to evaluate the effect of TNF-% applied before or after the electrochemotherapy and to evaluate the effect of adjuvant TNF-% on electrochemotherapy with different cisplatin doses. Results. A synergistic interaction between TNF-% and electrochemotherapy was observed. Administration of TNF-% before the electrochemotherapy resulted in longer tumour growth delay and increased tumour curability, and was significantly more effective than TNF-% administration after the electrochemotherapy. Tumour analysis revealed increased platinum content in tumours, TNF-% induced blood vessel damage and increased tumour necrosis after combination of TNF-% and electrochemotherapy, indicating an anti-vascular action of TNF-%. In addition, immunomodulatory effect might have contributed to curability rate of the tumours. Conclusion. Adjuvant intratumoural TNF-% therapy synergistically contributes to electrochemotherapy with intravenous cisplatin administration. Due to its potentiation at all doses of cisplatin, the combined treatment is predicted to be effective also in tumours, where the drug concentration is suboptimal or in bigger tumours, where electrochemotherapy with intravenous cisplatin is not expected to be sufficiently effective.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, TNF, adjuvant immunotherapy, cisplatin
Published in DiRROS: 17.04.2024; Views: 100; Downloads: 20
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4. Segmentation of hepatic vessels from MRI images for planning of electroporation-based treatments in the liverMarija Marčan, Denis Pavliha, Maja Marolt-Mušič, Igor Fučkan, Ratko Magjarević, Damijan Miklavčič, 2014, original scientific article Keywords: electrochemotherapy, non-thermal irreversible electroporation, treatment planning, hepatic vessel segmentation, non-invasive tumor treatments, MRI of liver
Published in DiRROS: 16.04.2024; Views: 82; Downloads: 46
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5. Tumor size and effectiveness of electrochemotherapyBarbara Mali, Damijan Miklavčič, Luca Giovanni Campana, Maja Čemažar, Gregor Serša, Marko Snoj, Tomaž Jarm, 2013, original scientific article Keywords: electrochemotherapy, cutaneous tumors, effectiveness, tumor size, meta-analysis
Published in DiRROS: 22.03.2024; Views: 97; Downloads: 32
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6. Effects of electrochemotherapy on immunologically important modifications in tumor cellsUrša Kešar, Boštjan Markelc, Tanja Jesenko, Katja Uršič Valentinuzzi, Maja Čemažar, Primož Strojan, Gregor Serša, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a clinically acknowledged method that combines the use of anticancer drugs and electrical pulses. Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin (BLM) can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in certain settings. However, whether this is ubiquitous over different cancer types and for other clinically relevant chemotherapeutics used with electrochemotherapy is unknown. Here, we evaluated in vitro in the B16-F10, 4T1 and CT26 murine tumor cell lines, the electrochemotherapy triggered changes in the ICD-associated damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs): Calreticulin (CRT), ATP, High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), and four immunologically important cellular markers: MHCI, MHC II, PD-L1 and CD40. The changes in these markers were investigated in time up to 48 h after ECT. We showed that electrochemotherapy with all three tested chemotherapeutics induced ICD-associated DAMPs, but the induced DAMP signature was cell line and chemotherapeutic concentration specific. Similarly, electrochemotherapy with CDDP, OXA or BLM modified the expression of MHC I, MHC II, PD-L1 and CD40. The potential of electrochemotherapy to change their expression was also cell line and chemotherapeutic concentration specific. Our results thus put the electrochemotherapy with clinically relevant chemotherapeutics CDDP, OXA and BLM on the map of ICD inducing therapies.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, cisplatin, immune response
Published in DiRROS: 21.03.2024; Views: 91; Downloads: 50
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9. Numerical modeling in electroporation-based biomedical applicationsNataša Pavšelj, Damijan Miklavčič, 2008, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Numerous experiments have to be performed before a biomedical application is put to practical use in clinical environment. As a complementary work to in vitro, in vivo and medical experiments, we can use analytical and numerical models to represent, as realistically as possible, real biological phenomena of, in our case, electroporation. In this way we canevaluate different electrical parameters in advance, such as pulse amplitude, duration, number of pulses, or different electrode geometries. Suchnumerical models can contribute significantly to the understanding of an experiment and treatment planning as well as to the design of new electroporation devices and electrodes. Methods. We used commercially available modeling software, based on finite element method. We constructed a model of a subcutaneous tumor during electrochemotherapy (EMAS) and a model ofskin during gene electrotransfer (COMSOL Multiphysics). Tissue-electrode geometries, pulse parameters and currentvoltage measurements from in vivo experiments were used to develop and validate the models. Results. To describeadequately our in vivo observations, a tissue conductivity increase during electroporation was included in our numerical models. The output currents of the models were compared to the currents and the voltages measuredduring in vivo experiments and a good agreement was obtained. Also, when comparing the voltages needed for a successful electropermeabilization assuggested by the models, to voltages applied in experiments and achieving a successful electrochemotherapy or in vivo gene electrotransfer, good agreementcan be observed. Conclusions. Modeling of electric current and electric field distribution during cell and tissue electroporation proves to be helpful in describing different aspects of the process and allowing us to design electrodes and electroporation protocols as a part of treatment planning.
Keywords: electroporation, gene electrotransfer, electrochemotherapy, subcutaneous tumor, finite-element method
Published in DiRROS: 07.03.2024; Views: 120; Downloads: 35
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10. Elektrokemoterapija malignega melanomaGregor Serša, Borut Štabuc, Tanja Čufer, Boris Jančar, Damijan Miklavčič, Maja Čemažar, Zvonimir Rudolf, 1999, published scientific conference contribution Keywords: melanom, zdravljenje, bleomicin, cisplatin, električna stimulacija, elektrokemoterapija, elektroporacija, melanoma therapy, bleomycin, cisplatin, electric stimulation therapy, electrochemotherapy, electroporation
Published in DiRROS: 27.11.2023; Views: 192; Downloads: 64
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