BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors monotherapy has been studied in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab, plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) as first-line treatment in advanced BTC and explored the potential biomarkers associated with response.MethodsIn this single-arm, open-label, phase II study, we enrolled stage IV BTC patients. Participants received camrelizumab (3 mg/kg) plus gemcitabine (800 mg/m2) and oxaliplatin (85 mg/m2). Primary endpoints were 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate and safety. Secondary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR), PFS and overall survival (OS). Exploratory endpoints included association between response and tumor mutational burden (TMB), blood TMB, dynamic change of ctDNA and immune microenvironment.Results54 patients with advanced BTC were screened, of whom 38 eligible patients were enrolled. One patient withdrew informed consent before first dose treatment. Median follow-up was 11.8 months. The 6-month PFS rate was 50% (95% CI 33 to 65). Twenty (54%) out of 37 patients had an objective response. The median PFS was 6.1 months and median OS was 11.8 months. The most common treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were fatigue (27 (73%)) and fever (27 (73%)). The most frequent grade 3 or worse TRAEs were hypokalemia (7 (19%)) and fatigue (6 (16%)). The ORR was 80% in patients with programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥1% versus 53.8% in PD-L1 TPS <1%. There was no association between response and TMB, blood TMB, immune proportion score or immune cells (p>0.05), except that PFS was associated with blood TMB. Patients with positive post-treatment ctDNA had shorter PFS (p=0.007; HR, 2.83; 95% CI 1.27 to 6.28).ConclusionCamrelizumab plus GEMOX showed a promising antitumor activity and acceptable safety profile as first-line treatment in advanced BTC patients. Potential biomarkers are needed to identify patients who might respond to camrelizumab plus GEMOX.Trial registration numberNCT03486678.
In this study, we explored the competence of adipose-derived stem cells to differentiate into Schwann cells in vitro. Rat adipose-derived stem cells were sequentially treated with various factors beta-mercaptoethanol, all-trans-retinoic acid, followed by a mixture of forskolin, basic fibroblast growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor and heregulin. We found that differentiated adipose-derived stem cells displayed the morphology of Schwann cells. Western blotting and dual immunofluorescence staining confirmed that they produced proteins characteristic for Schwann cells, including S100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Furthermore, differentiated adipose-derived stem cells could enhance neurite outgrowth in coculture with sensory neurons. These results demonstrate that adipose-derived stem cells can differentiate into Schwann-like cells with morphological, phenotypic, and functional characteristics of Schwann cells.
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