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Ramisetty S, Subbalakshmi AR, Pareek S, Mirzapoiazova T, Do D, Prabhakar D, Pisick E, Shrestha S, Achuthan S, Bhattacharya S, Malhotra J, Mohanty A, Singhal SS, Salgia R, Kulkarni P. Leveraging Cancer Phenotypic Plasticity for Novel Treatment Strategies. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3337. [PMID: 38893049 PMCID: PMC11172618 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells, like all other organisms, are adept at switching their phenotype to adjust to the changes in their environment. Thus, phenotypic plasticity is a quantitative trait that confers a fitness advantage to the cancer cell by altering its phenotype to suit environmental circumstances. Until recently, new traits, especially in cancer, were thought to arise due to genetic factors; however, it is now amply evident that such traits could also emerge non-genetically due to phenotypic plasticity. Furthermore, phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells contributes to phenotypic heterogeneity in the population, which is a major impediment in treating the disease. Finally, plasticity also impacts the group behavior of cancer cells, since competition and cooperation among multiple clonal groups within the population and the interactions they have with the tumor microenvironment also contribute to the evolution of drug resistance. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that cancer cells exploit to tailor their phenotypes at a systems level can aid the development of novel cancer therapeutics and treatment strategies. Here, we present our perspective on a team medicine-based approach to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon to develop new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sravani Ramisetty
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Ayalur Raghu Subbalakshmi
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Siddhika Pareek
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Tamara Mirzapoiazova
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Dana Do
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Dhivya Prabhakar
- City of Hope Atlanta, 600 Celebrate Life Parkway, Newnan, GA 30265, USA;
| | - Evan Pisick
- City of Hope Chicago, 2520 Elisha Avenue, Zion, IL 60099, USA;
| | - Sagun Shrestha
- City of Hope Phoenix, 14200 West Celebrate Life Way, Goodyear, AZ 85338, USA;
| | - Srisairam Achuthan
- Center for Informatics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA;
| | - Supriyo Bhattacharya
- Integrative Genomics Core, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA;
| | - Jyoti Malhotra
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Atish Mohanty
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Sharad S. Singhal
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (S.R.); (A.R.S.); (S.P.); (T.M.); (D.D.); (J.M.); (A.M.); (S.S.S.)
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Karras P, Black JRM, McGranahan N, Marine JC. Decoding the interplay between genetic and non-genetic drivers of metastasis. Nature 2024; 629:543-554. [PMID: 38750233 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07302-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Metastasis is a multistep process by which cancer cells break away from their original location and spread to distant organs, and is responsible for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths. Preventing early metastatic dissemination would revolutionize the ability to fight cancer. Unfortunately, the relatively poor understanding of the molecular underpinnings of metastasis has hampered the development of effective anti-metastatic drugs. Although it is now accepted that disseminating tumour cells need to acquire multiple competencies to face the many obstacles they encounter before reaching their metastatic site(s), whether these competencies are acquired through an accumulation of metastasis-specific genetic alterations and/or non-genetic events is often debated. Here we review a growing body of literature highlighting the importance of both genetic and non-genetic reprogramming events during the metastatic cascade, and discuss how genetic and non-genetic processes act in concert to confer metastatic competencies. We also describe how recent technological advances, and in particular the advent of single-cell multi-omics and barcoding approaches, will help to better elucidate the cross-talk between genetic and non-genetic mechanisms of metastasis and ultimately inform innovative paths for the early detection and interception of this lethal process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Karras
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - James R M Black
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Jean-Christophe Marine
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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3
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Schaff DL, Fasse AJ, White PE, Vander Velde RJ, Shaffer SM. Clonal differences underlie variable responses to sequential and prolonged treatment. Cell Syst 2024; 15:213-226.e9. [PMID: 38401539 PMCID: PMC11003565 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cells exhibit dramatic differences in gene expression at the single-cell level, which can predict whether they become resistant to treatment. Treatment perpetuates this heterogeneity, resulting in a diversity of cell states among resistant clones. However, it remains unclear whether these differences lead to distinct responses when another treatment is applied or the same treatment is continued. In this study, we combined single-cell RNA sequencing with barcoding to track resistant clones through prolonged and sequential treatments. We found that cells within the same clone have similar gene expression states after multiple rounds of treatment. Moreover, we demonstrated that individual clones have distinct and differing fates, including growth, survival, or death, when subjected to a second treatment or when the first treatment is continued. By identifying gene expression states that predict clone survival, this work provides a foundation for selecting optimal therapies that target the most aggressive resistant clones within a tumor. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan L Schaff
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Aria J Fasse
- Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Phoebe E White
- Department of Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Robert J Vander Velde
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA; Department of Pathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA
| | - Sydney M Shaffer
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA; Department of Pathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA.
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4
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Kim IK, Diamond MS, Yuan S, Kemp SB, Kahn BM, Li Q, Lin JH, Li J, Norgard RJ, Thomas SK, Merolle M, Katsuda T, Tobias JW, Baslan T, Politi K, Vonderheide RH, Stanger BZ. Plasticity-induced repression of Irf6 underlies acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1532. [PMID: 38378697 PMCID: PMC10879147 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Acquired resistance to immunotherapy remains a critical yet incompletely understood biological mechanism. Here, using a mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to study tumor relapse following immunotherapy-induced responses, we find that resistance is reproducibly associated with an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), with EMT-transcription factors ZEB1 and SNAIL functioning as master genetic and epigenetic regulators of this effect. Acquired resistance in this model is not due to immunosuppression in the tumor immune microenvironment, disruptions in the antigen presentation machinery, or altered expression of immune checkpoints. Rather, resistance is due to a tumor cell-intrinsic defect in T-cell killing. Molecularly, EMT leads to the epigenetic and transcriptional silencing of interferon regulatory factor 6 (Irf6), rendering tumor cells less sensitive to the pro-apoptotic effects of TNF-α. These findings indicate that acquired resistance to immunotherapy may be mediated by programs distinct from those governing primary resistance, including plasticity programs that render tumor cells impervious to T-cell killing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Il-Kyu Kim
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mark S Diamond
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Salina Yuan
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Samantha B Kemp
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin M Kahn
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Qinglan Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Lin
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jinyang Li
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert J Norgard
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stacy K Thomas
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maria Merolle
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Takeshi Katsuda
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John W Tobias
- Penn Genomic Analysis Core, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Timour Baslan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Katerina Politi
- Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Robert H Vonderheide
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Ben Z Stanger
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Abramson Cancer Center and Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Zhang L, Ma J, Liu L, Li G, Li H, Hao Y, Zhang X, Ma X, Chen Y, Wu J, Wang X, Yang S, Xu S. Adaptive therapy: a tumor therapy strategy based on Darwinian evolution theory. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2023; 192:104192. [PMID: 37898477 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2023.104192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer progression is a dynamic process of continuous evolution, in which genetic diversity and heterogeneity are generated by clonal and subclonal amplification based on random mutations. Traditional cancer treatment strategies have a great challenge, which often leads to treatment failure due to drug resistance. Integrating evolutionary dynamics into treatment regimens may be an effective way to overcome the problem of drug resistance. In particular, a potential treatment is adaptive therapy, which strategy advocates containment strategies that adjust the treatment cycles according to tumor evolution to control the growth of treatment-resistant cells. In this review, we first summarize the shortcomings of traditional tumor treatment methods in evolution and then introduce the theoretical basis and research status of adaptive therapy. By analyzing the limitations of adaptive therapy and exploring possible solutions, we can broaden people's understanding of adaptive therapy and provide new insights and strategies for tumor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Jianli Ma
- Department of Radiotherapy, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Guozheng Li
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Hui Li
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Yi Hao
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Yihai Chen
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Jiale Wu
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Xinheng Wang
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Shuai Yang
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Shouping Xu
- Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, China.
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Kim IK, Diamond M, Yuan S, Kemp S, Li Q, Lin J, Li J, Norgard R, Thomas S, Merolle M, Katsuda T, Tobias J, Politi K, Vonderheide R, Stanger B. Plasticity-induced repression of Irf6 underlies acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2960521. [PMID: 37398248 PMCID: PMC10312946 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2960521/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Acquired resistance to immune checkpoint immunotherapy remains a critical yet incompletely understood biological mechanism. Here, using a mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) to study tumor relapse following immunotherapy-induced responses, we found that tumors underwent an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that resulted in reduced sensitivity to T cell-mediated killing. EMT-transcription factors (EMT-TFs) ZEB1 and SNAIL function as master genetic and epigenetic regulators of this tumor-intrinsic effect. Acquired resistance was not due to immunosuppression in the tumor immune microenvironment, disruptions in the antigen presentation machinery, or altered expression of immune checkpoints. Rather, EMT was associated with epigenetic and transcriptional silencing of interferon regulatory factor 6 (Irf6), which renders tumor cells less sensitive to the pro-apoptotic effects of TNF-α. These findings show how resistance to immunotherapy in PDAC can be acquired through plasticity programs that render tumor cells impervious to T cell killing.
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Schaff DL, Fasse AJ, White PE, Vander Velde RJ, Shaffer SM. Clonal differences underlie variable responses to sequential and prolonged treatment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.24.534152. [PMID: 36993721 PMCID: PMC10055379 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.24.534152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells exhibit dramatic differences in gene expression at the single-cell level which can predict whether they become resistant to treatment. Treatment perpetuates this heterogeneity, resulting in a diversity of cell states among resistant clones. However, it remains unclear whether these differences lead to distinct responses when another treatment is applied or the same treatment is continued. In this study, we combined single-cell RNA-sequencing with barcoding to track resistant clones through prolonged and sequential treatments. We found that cells within the same clone have similar gene expression states after multiple rounds of treatment. Moreover, we demonstrated that individual clones have distinct and differing fates, including growth, survival, or death, when subjected to a second treatment or when the first treatment is continued. By identifying gene expression states that predict clone survival, this work provides a foundation for selecting optimal therapies that target the most aggressive resistant clones within a tumor.
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8
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Lukačišin M, Espinosa‐Cantú A, Bollenbach T. Single‐cell isogrowth profiling: Uniform inhibition uncovers non‐uniform drug responses. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e1005. [PMID: 35908278 PMCID: PMC9339238 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lukačišin
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine Technion Haifa Israel
- Technion Integrated Cancer Center Technion Haifa Israel
| | | | - Tobias Bollenbach
- Institute for Biological Physics University of Cologne Cologne Germany
- Center for Data and Simulation Science University of Cologne Cologne Germany
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