Biobanks constitute an integral part of precision medicine. They provide a repository of biospecimens that may be used to elucidate the pathophysiology, support diagnoses, and guide the treatment of diseases. The pilot biobank of rare malignant neoplasms has been established in the context of the Hellenic Network of Precision Medicine on Cancer and aims to enhance future clinical and/or research studies in Greece by collecting, processing, and storing rare malignant neoplasm samples with associated data. The biobank currently comprises 553 samples; 384 samples of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue malignancies, 72 samples of pediatric brain tumors and 97 samples of malignant skin neoplasms. In this article, sample collections and their individual significance in clinical research are described in detail along with computational methods developed specifically for this project. A concise review of the Greek biobanking landscape is also delineated, in addition to recommended technologies, methodologies and protocols that were integrated during the creation of the biobank. This project is expected to re-enforce current clinical and research studies, introduce advances in clinical and genetic research and potentially aid in future targeted drug discovery. It is our belief that the future of medical research is entwined with accessible, effective, and ethical biobanking and that our project will facilitate research planning in the '-omic' era by contributing high-quality samples along with their associated data.
Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) comprise a rare and heterogenous category of benign/malignant neoplasms with progressively increasing knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underpinning their pathogenesis, poor prognosis, and therapeutic treatment efficacy. Emerging data are pointing toward an interplay of genetic and epigenetic factors contributing to their heterogeneity and diverse clinical phenotypes. Post-translational histone modifications such as histone acetylation/deacetylation have been shown to actively participate in the pathobiology of SGTs, further suggesting that histone deacetylating factors (HDACs), selective or pan-HDAC inhibitors (HDACis), might present effective treatment options for these neoplasms. Herein, we describe the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the pathology of the different types of SGTs, focusing on histone acetylation/deacetylation effects on gene expression as well as the progress of HDACis in SGT therapy and the current status of relevant clinical trials.
Zinc fingers consist of one of the most abundant motifs in transcription factors and DNA-binding proteins. Recent studies provide evidence on the pathological implication of zinc finger proteins in various neurodevelopmental disorders and malignancies but their role in pediatric brain tumors is largely unexplored. To this end, we investigated the differential expression of zinc finger-containing genes along with relevant biological processes and pathways among four main brain tumor categories (pilocytic astrocytomas, ependymomas, medulloblastomas and glioblastomas). By employing an extended bioinformatic toolset, we performed a preliminary in silico study in order to identify the expression of zinc finger-containing genes and associated functions in pediatric brain tumors. Our data analysis reveals the prominent role of C2H2-type zinc finger-containing genes in the molecular mechanisms underlying pediatric brain tumors followed by the Ring and PHD finger types. Significant dysregulation of ABLIM2 and UHFR1 genes was detected in all tumor types drawing attention to the dysregulation of cell polarization process and Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) in the pathogenesis of pediatric brain tumors. Moreover, significant gene clustering was observed in multiple locations with two highly visible clusters revealing a contrast in gene regulation between medulloblastomas and the other three brain tumor types, indicating a promising area of future research.
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