Octavio Frias de Oliveira Award reveals finalists – 06/30/2023 – Health

Genetic test for thyroid nodules. mRNA vaccines for cervical cancer. New therapeutic targets against colorectal cancer, leukemia, glioblastoma and head and neck cancer. It is from this group of discoveries that the winners of the 14th edition of the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Award will emerge.

Promoted by Icesp (Cancer Institute of the State of São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira) in partnership with Grupo Folha, the laureate was created in 2010 and honors the then publisher of Sheet Octavio Frias de Oliveira, who died in 2007. The award seeks to stimulate the production of knowledge about preventing and combating cancer in Brazil.

The six finalist works, selected among 32 scientific articles submitted for the award, were published in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications and Science Translational Medicine.

“The level of work has increased year after year. They are very high quality studies, which show the competence of research installed in the area of ​​oncology”, evaluates researcher Roger Chammas, member of the Board of Directors of Icesp and one of the coordinators of the award.

In the Oncology Research category, two articles by researchers from USP (University of São Paulo) and one from Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) compete.

The Technological Innovation in Oncology category is disputed by scientists from the National Biosciences Laboratory, CNPEM (National Center for Research in Energy and Materials), USP and Onkos Diagnostics Moleculars (see details about the finalists below).

The award ceremony will take place on August 11, at the ICESP auditorium. At the event, the best works in both categories will be announced, as well as the Outstanding Personality in Oncology, which recognizes people who have contributed significantly to the area. Each winner will receive a certificate and R$20,000.

Finalists in the Oncology Research category

Action of mast cells in colorectal cancer

• Authors: Juliana Yumi Sakita; Jefferson Elias Oliveira; Daniela Carlos; Emerson de Souza Santos; Luciana Yamamoto Almeida; Tathiane Maistro Malta; Mariângela O Brunaldi; Sergio Albuquerque; Cleide Lúcia Araújo Silva; Marcus V Andrade; Sergio Britto Garcia; Fernando Cunha; Guilherme Cesar Martelossi Cebinelli; Ronaldo Martins; Vania Bonato; Jason Matthews; Leandro Colli; Francis Martin; Sergio Akira Uyemura; Vinicius Kannen
• Institution: USP Ribeirão Preto
• Title: The mast cell-T cell axis alters development of colitis dependent and -independent colorectal tumors: potential for therapeutically targeting via mast cell inhibition
• Article: https://jitc.bmj.com/content/10/10/e004653.long

The research indicates the specific conditions in which mast cells, cells of the immune system, can promote or inhibit the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) and melanomas.

The study shows that, when associated with an exacerbated inflammatory process in the colon (colitis), the mast cell – CD8 T lymphocyte axis promotes the development of colorectal tumors. In cases not related to colitis, however, this axis inhibits the development of melanomas and CRC.

With the findings, mast cells can become a target in therapeutic strategies against melanomas and CRC, including in association with chemotherapy treatment.

New compound against leukemia

• Authors: Keli Lima; Diego Antonio Pereira-Martins; Livia Bassani Lins de Miranda; Juan Luiz Coelho-Silva; Giovana da Silva Leandro; Isabel Weinhäuser; Rita de Cássia Cavaglieri; Aline de Medeiros Leal; Wellington Fernandes da Silva; Ana Paula Alencar de Lima Lange; Elvira Deolinda Rodrigues Pereira Velloso; Emmanuel Griessinger; Jacobien R. Hilberink; Emanuele Ammatuna; Gerwin Huls;
  Jan Jacob Schuringa; Eduardo Magalhães Rego; Joao Agostinho Machado-Neto
• Institution: USP
• Title: The PIP4K2 inhibitor THZ-P1-2 exhibits antileukemia activity by disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis and autophagy
• Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41408-022-00747-w

The study describes the mechanism of action of THZ-P1-2, a compound that inhibits PIP4K2s proteins, in combating leukemic cells.

According to the researchers, the compound attacks the leukemic cells in multiple ways and is capable of leading them to self-destruction. Furthermore, THZ-P1-2 is able to improve the response to venetoclax, a drug already used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

In view of these results, the scientists believe that PIP4K2s inhibitors may form part of therapeutic regimens for acute myeloid leukemia in the future.

Cell death in glioblastoma

• Authors: Izadora de Souza; Linda Karolynne Seregni Monteiro; Camila Banca Guedes; Matheus Molina Silva; Marina Tomaz Andrade; Bruna Contieri; Marcela Teatin Latancia; David Mendes; Bruna Felício Milazzotto Maldonado Porchia Ribeiro; Mariana Lazarini; Luciana Rodrigues Gomes; Clarissa Ribeiro Reily Rocha
• Institution: Unifesp
• Title: High levels of NRF2 sensitize temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma cells to ferroptosis via ABCC1/MRP1 upregulation
• Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-022-05044-9

One of the major challenges in the treatment of glioblastoma (a malignant tumor that affects the brain) is the resistance of tumor cells to the chemotherapy drug temozolomide.

To try to identify new therapeutic possibilities, the group investigated the relationship between NRF2, a regulator of the body’s antioxidant response related to chemotherapy resistance, and ferroptosis (a type of cell death in which iron leads to the decomposition of the cell membrane) in cells of glioblastoma.

The researchers observed that tumor cells with high expression of the NRF2 and ABCC1 genes die when subjected to treatment with ferroptosis inducers, a path that may be explored in the future in the fight against the disease.

They also identified that the high expression of the ABCC1 gene can be considered a biomarker for the treatment of patients with tumors in the central nervous system, being associated with worse survival rates.

Finalists in the Technological Innovation in Oncology category

Characterization of tumor microenvironments

• Authors: Ariane F. Busso-Lopes; Leandro X. Neves; Guilherme A. Câmara; Daniela C. Granato; Marco Antônio M. Pretti; Henry Heberle; Fabio MS Patroni; Jamile Sa; Sami Yokoo; Cesar Rivera; Romania R. Domingues; Ana Gabriela C. Normando; Tatiane De Rossi; Barbara P. Mello; Nayane AL Galdino; Bianca A. Pauletti; Pammela A. Lacerda; André Afonso N. Rodrigues; André Luis M. Casarim; Reydson A. de Lima-Souza; Ingrid I. Ladies; Fernanda V. Mariano; Kenneth J. Gollob; Tiago S. Medina; Nilva K. Cervigne; Ana Carolina Prado-Ribeiro; Thaís Bianca Brandão; Luisa L. Villa; Miyuki Uno; Mariana Boroni; Luiz Paulo Kowalski; Wilfredo Alejandro González-Arriagada; Adriana F. Paes Leme
• Institution: National Biosciences Laboratory – CNPEM
• Title: Connecting multiple microenvironment proteomes uncovers the biology in head and neck cancer
• Article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34407-1

The worst prognosis for head and neck cancer is associated with lymph node metastasis. To investigate the biology of metastasis and indicate differentials that help in clinical decisions, the scientists carried out a detailed investigation of the proteins found in samples from 59 patients with the disease.

The analysis revealed cellular components and biological processes related to the immune system that could become targets for new therapies or be explored as prognostic markers in cases of head and neck cancer.

mRNA vaccines for cervical cancer

• Authors: Jamile Ramos da Silva, Karine Bitencourt Rodrigues, Guilherme Formoso Pelegrin, Natiely Silva Sales, Hiromi Muramatsu, Mariângela de Oliveira Silva, Bruna FMM Porchia, Ana Carolina Ramos Moreno, Luana Raposo MM Aps, Aléxia Adrianne Venceslau-Carvalho, István Tombácz, Wesley Luzetti Fotoran, Katalin Karikó, Paulo JC Lin, Ying K. Tam, Mariana de Oliveira Diniz, Norbert Pardi, and Luís Carlos de Souza Ferreira
• Institution: USP
• Title: Single immunizations of self-amplifying or non-replicating mRNA-LNP vaccines control HPV-associated tumors in mice
• Article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abn3464

The research presents and compares three mRNA-based vaccines with therapeutic potential against cervical cancer associated with HPV-16.

In the article, the group demonstrates that a single dose of any of the three vaccines is capable of generating an immune response and inhibiting the tumor.

The study was carried out with mice and, for scientists, the findings can support the continuity of studies and clinical tests.

Genetic test for thyroid nodule

• Authors: Marcos Tadeu Santos; Bruna Moretto Rodrigues; Satye Shizukuda; Andrei Felix Oliveira, Miriane de Oliveira; David Livingstone Alves Figueiredo; Giulianno Molina Melo; Rubens Adao Silva; Claudio Fainstein; Gerson Felisbino dos Reis; Rossana Corbo; Helton Estrela Ramos; Cleber Pinto Camacho; Fernanda Vaisman; Mario Vaisman
• Institution: Onkos Molecular Diagnostics
• Title: Clinical decision support analysis of a microRNA-based thyroid molecular classifier: A real-world, prospective and multicentre validation study
• Article: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(22)00318-8/fulltext

In the article, the researchers present the results of a genetic test developed in Brazil for the diagnosis of malignancy in thyroid nodules.

The group tested the exam in 435 patients with thyroid nodules and found that the technology can support clinical decisions and reduce the number of surgeries performed for diagnostic purposes.

From the test, it was possible to verify whether the nodules were malignant and to avoid 74.6% of potentially unnecessary operations.