Publication in new flagship medical journal Med: The Malmberg Lab reports a systems-level immune profiling in patients with DLBCL

Eivind Heggernes Ask, first author
Eivind Heggernes Ask, first author

The Malmberg Lab at the Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, OUH and the Institute for Clinical Medicine, UiO, reports a systems-level immune profiling in patients with diffuse large-B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The paper is published online in Med, a new flagship medical journal from Cell Press. 
DLBCL is the most common form of lymphoma. Despite advances in treatment, there are still large differences in outcome that are not fully explained by current clinical variables. 

M.D. PhD student Eivind Heggernes and Astrid Tschan-Plessl combined mass cytometry (CyTOF) high-dimensional immune cell phenotyping with protein profiling of serum/plasma samples in two distinct patient cohorts from OUH and Washington University, St Louis.

The Malmberg Lab summarizes the findings:

(click to enlarge)

We observed large deviations in patient protein profiles, compared with healthy donors. We developed a systemic protein deviation (SPD) score, based on 4 proteins, that was highly predictive of patient outcome in both cohorts. The SPD score served as a proxy of more complex immune deviations and outperformed other combinations in Cox regression models. High-dimensional mass cytometry phenotyping revealed that protein profiles correlated with coordinated changes in immune cell repertoires in peripheral blood with expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and activated POD-1+ CD8 T cells. These findings suggest the possibility of developing a simple serological test for implementation in prognostication and treatment stratification in DLBCL.

Karl-Johan Malmberg: “This publication is the result of a long-term collaboration with Amir Horowitz at Mt Sinai, NYC and Todd Fehniger at University of Washington, St Louis, supported by the Norwegian Research Council and the Norwegian Cancer Society. It turned out to be very informative to use complementary technologies to map the full complexity of the coordinated immune response in DLBCL. We are committed to build on these findings to develop a robust clinical test that can predict the outcome and guide therapy in prospective patients. Future work will also address how the SPD score relate to the genetics of the disease and changes in the tumor micro-environment.”

Links:

The article:
Clinical and Translational Article + A Systemic Protein Deviation Score Linked to PD-1 CD8+ T Cell Expansion That Predicts Overall Survival in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Eivind Heggernes Ask, Astrid Tschan-Plessl, Thea Johanne Gjerdingen, Michelle Lu Sætersmoen, Hanna Julie Hoel, Merete Thune Wiiger, Johanna Olweus, Bjørn E. Wahlin, Ole Christian Lingjærde, Amir Horowitz, Amanda F. Cashen,8 Marcus Watkins, Todd A. Fehniger, Harald Holte, Arne Kolstad, and Karl-Johan Malmberg
Published: December 03, 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medj.2020.10.006

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