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Pathania AS. Immune Microenvironment in Childhood Cancers: Characteristics and Therapeutic Challenges. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2201. [PMID: 38927907 PMCID: PMC11201451 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122201] [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: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor immune microenvironment is pivotal in cancer initiation, advancement, and regulation. Its molecular and cellular composition is critical throughout the disease, as it can influence the balance between suppressive and cytotoxic immune responses within the tumor's vicinity. Studies on the tumor immune microenvironment have enriched our understanding of the intricate interplay between tumors and their immunological surroundings in various human cancers. These studies illuminate the role of significant components of the immune microenvironment, which have not been extensively explored in pediatric tumors before and may influence the responsiveness or resistance to therapeutic agents. Our deepening understanding of the pediatric tumor immune microenvironment is helping to overcome challenges related to the effectiveness of existing therapeutic strategies, including immunotherapies. Although in the early stages, targeted therapies that modulate the tumor immune microenvironment of pediatric solid tumors hold promise for improved outcomes. Focusing on various aspects of tumor immune biology in pediatric patients presents a therapeutic opportunity that could improve treatment outcomes. This review offers a comprehensive examination of recent literature concerning profiling the immune microenvironment in various pediatric tumors. It seeks to condense research findings on characterizing the immune microenvironment in pediatric tumors and its impact on tumor development, metastasis, and response to therapeutic modalities. It covers the immune microenvironment's role in tumor development, interactions with tumor cells, and its impact on the tumor's response to immunotherapy. The review also discusses challenges targeting the immune microenvironment for pediatric cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Singh Pathania
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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2
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Epperly R, Gottschalk S, DeRenzo C. CAR T cells redirected to B7-H3 for pediatric solid tumors: Current status and future perspectives. EJC PAEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY 2024; 3:100160. [PMID: 38957786 PMCID: PMC11218663 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcped.2024.100160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Despite intensive therapies, pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors have poor outcomes and need novel treatments. Immune therapies offer an alternative to conventional treatment options but require the identification of differentially expressed antigens to direct antitumor activity to sites of disease. B7-H3 (CD276) is an immune regulatory protein that is expressed in a range of malignancies and has limited expression in normal tissues. B7-H3 is highly expressed in pediatric solid tumors including osteosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, Wilms tumor, neuroblastoma, and many rare tumors. In this article we review B7-H3-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (B7-H3-CAR) T cell therapies for pediatric solid tumors, reporting preclinical development strategies and outlining the landscape of active pediatric clinical trials. We identify challenges to the success of CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors including localizing to and penetrating solid tumor sites, evading the hostile tumor microenvironment, supporting T cell expansion and persistence, and avoiding intrinsic tumor resistance. We highlight strategies to overcome these challenges and enhance the effect of B7-H3-CAR T cells, including advanced CAR T cell design and incorporation of combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Epperly
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Christopher DeRenzo
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
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3
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Nakazawa K, Shaw T, Song YK, Kouassi-Brou M, Molotkova A, Tiwari PB, Chou HC, Wen X, Wei JS, Deniz E, Toretsky JA, Keller C, Barr FG, Khan J, Üren A. Piperacetazine Directly Binds to the PAX3::FOXO1 Fusion Protein and Inhibits Its Transcriptional Activity. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:2030-2043. [PMID: 37732905 PMCID: PMC10557868 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The tumor-specific chromosomal translocation product, PAX3::FOXO1, is an aberrant fusion protein that plays a key role for oncogenesis in the alveolar subtype of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). PAX3::FOXO1 represents a validated molecular target for alveolar RMS and successful inhibition of its oncogenic activity is likely to have significant clinical applications. Even though several PAX3::FOXO1 function-based screening studies have been successfully completed, a directly binding small-molecule inhibitor of PAX3::FOXO1 has not been reported. Therefore, we screened small-molecule libraries to identify compounds that were capable of directly binding to PAX3::FOXO1 protein using surface plasmon resonance technology. Compounds that directly bound to PAX3::FOXO1 were further evaluated in secondary transcriptional activation assays. We discovered that piperacetazine can directly bind to PAX3::FOXO1 protein and inhibit fusion protein-derived transcription in multiple alveolar RMS cell lines. Piperacetazine inhibited anchorage-independent growth of fusion-positive alveolar RMS cells but not embryonal RMS cells. On the basis of our findings, piperacetazine is a molecular scaffold upon which derivatives could be developed as specific inhibitors of PAX3::FOXO1. These novel inhibitors could potentially be evaluated in future clinical trials for recurrent or metastatic alveolar RMS as novel targeted therapy options. SIGNIFICANCE RMS is a malignant soft-tissue tumor mainly affecting the pediatric population. A subgroup of RMS with worse prognosis harbors a unique chromosomal translocation creating an oncogenic fusion protein, PAX3::FOXO1. We identified piperacetazine as a direct inhibitor of PAX3::FOXO1, which may provide a scaffold for designing RMS-specific targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay Nakazawa
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Taryn Shaw
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Young K. Song
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Marilyn Kouassi-Brou
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Anna Molotkova
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Purushottam B. Tiwari
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Hsien-Chao Chou
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Xinyu Wen
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jun S. Wei
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Emre Deniz
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Jeffrey A. Toretsky
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Charles Keller
- Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, Hillsboro, Oregon
| | - Frederic G. Barr
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Aykut Üren
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
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Bottino C, Vitale C, Dondero A, Castriconi R. B7-H3 in Pediatric Tumors: Far beyond Neuroblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3279. [PMID: 37444389 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
B7-H3 is a 4Ig transmembrane protein that emerged as a tumor-associated antigen in neuroblastoma. It belongs to the B7 family, shows an immunoregulatory role toward NK and T cells, and, therefore, has been included in the growing family of immune checkpoints. Besides neuroblastoma, B7-H3 is expressed by many pediatric cancers including tumors of the central nervous system, sarcomas, and acute myeloid leukemia. In children, particularly those affected by solid tumors, the therapeutic protocols are aggressive and cause important life-threatening side effects. Moreover, despite the improved survival observed in the last decade, a relevant number of patients show therapy resistance and fatal relapses. Immunotherapy represents a new frontier in the cure of cancer patients and the targeting of tumor antigens or immune checkpoints blockade showed exciting results in adults. In this encouraging scenario, researchers and clinicians are exploring the possibility to use immunotherapeutics targeting B7-H3; these include mAbs and chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T). These tools are rapidly evolving to improve the efficacy and decrease the unwanted side effects; drug-conjugated mAbs, bi-tri-specific mAbs or CAR-T, and, very recently, NK cell engagers (NKCE), tetra-specific molecules engaging a tumor-associated antigen and NK cells, have been generated. Preclinical data are promising, and clinical trials are ongoing. Hopefully, the B7-H3 targeting will provide important benefits to cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Bottino
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy
| | - Chiara Vitale
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Dondero
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Roberta Castriconi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
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Rasic P, Jeremic M, Jeremic R, Dusanovic Pjevic M, Rasic M, Djuricic SM, Milickovic M, Vukadin M, Mijovic T, Savic D. Targeting B7-H3-A Novel Strategy for the Design of Anticancer Agents for Extracranial Pediatric Solid Tumors Treatment. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083356. [PMID: 37110590 PMCID: PMC10145344 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083356] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent scientific data recognize the B7-H3 checkpoint molecule as a potential target for immunotherapy of pediatric solid tumors (PSTs). B7-H3 is highly expressed in extracranial PSTs such as neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, nephroblastoma, osteosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma, whereas its expression is absent or very low in normal tissues and organs. The influence of B7-H3 on the biological behavior of malignant solid neoplasms of childhood is expressed through different molecular mechanisms, including stimulation of immune evasion and tumor invasion, and cell-cycle disruption. It has been shown that B7-H3 knockdown decreased tumor cell proliferation and migration, suppressed tumor growth, and enhanced anti-tumor immune response in some pediatric solid cancers. Antibody-drug conjugates targeting B7-H3 exhibited profound anti-tumor effects against preclinical models of pediatric solid malignancies. Moreover, B7-H3-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells demonstrated significant in vivo activity against different xenograft models of neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, and osteosarcoma. Finally, clinical studies demonstrated the potent anti-tumor activity of B7-H3-targeting antibody-radioimmunoconjugates in metastatic neuroblastoma. This review summarizes the established data from various PST-related studies, including in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research, and explains all the benefits and potential obstacles of targeting B7-H3 by novel immunotherapeutic agents designed to treat malignant extracranial solid tumors of childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar Rasic
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija Jeremic
- Institute of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Rada Jeremic
- Institute of Medical Physiology "Richard Burian", Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija Dusanovic Pjevic
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milica Rasic
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Slavisa M Djuricic
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Banja Luka, 78000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Maja Milickovic
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Miroslav Vukadin
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Tanja Mijovic
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Djordje Savic
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Mother and Child Health Care Institute of Serbia "Dr. Vukan Cupic", 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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Surfaceome Profiling of Cell Lines and Patient-Derived Xenografts Confirm FGFR4, NCAM1, CD276, and Highlight AGRL2, JAM3, and L1CAM as Surface Targets for Rhabdomyosarcoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032601. [PMID: 36768928 PMCID: PMC9917031 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. The prognosis for patients with high-grade and metastatic disease is still very poor, and survivors are burdened with long-lasting side effects. Therefore, more effective and less toxic therapies are needed. Surface proteins are ideal targets for antibody-based therapies, like bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. Specific surface targets for RMS are scarce. Here, we performed a surfaceome profiling based on differential centrifugation enrichment of surface/membrane proteins and detection by LC-MS on six fusion-positive (FP) RMS cell lines, five fusion-negative (FN) RMS cell lines, and three RMS patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). A total of 699 proteins were detected in the three RMS groups. Ranking based on expression levels and comparison to expression in normal MRC-5 fibroblasts and myoblasts, followed by statistical analysis, highlighted known RMS targets such as FGFR4, NCAM1, and CD276/B7-H3, and revealed AGRL2, JAM3, MEGF10, GPC4, CADM2, as potential targets for immunotherapies of RMS. L1CAM expression was investigated in RMS tissues, and strong L1CAM expression was observed in more than 80% of alveolar RMS tumors, making it a practicable target for antibody-based therapies of alveolar RMS.
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Zhao B, Li H, Xia Y, Wang Y, Wang Y, Shi Y, Xing H, Qu T, Wang Y, Ma W. Immune checkpoint of B7-H3 in cancer: from immunology to clinical immunotherapy. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:153. [PMID: 36284349 PMCID: PMC9597993 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01364-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy for cancer is a rapidly developing treatment that modifies the immune system and enhances the antitumor immune response. B7-H3 (CD276), a member of the B7 family that plays an immunoregulatory role in the T cell response, has been highlighted as a novel potential target for cancer immunotherapy. B7-H3 has been shown to play an inhibitory role in T cell activation and proliferation, participate in tumor immune evasion and influence both the immune response and tumor behavior through different signaling pathways. B7-H3 expression has been found to be aberrantly upregulated in many different cancer types, and an association between B7-H3 expression and poor prognosis has been established. Immunotherapy targeting B7-H3 through different approaches has been developing rapidly, and many ongoing clinical trials are exploring the safety and efficacy profiles of these therapies in cancer. In this review, we summarize the emerging research on the function and underlying pathways of B7-H3, the expression and roles of B7-H3 in different cancer types, and the advances in B7-H3-targeted therapy. Considering different tumor microenvironment characteristics and results from preclinical models to clinical practice, the research indicates that B7-H3 is a promising target for future immunotherapy, which might eventually contribute to an improvement in cancer immunotherapy that will benefit patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binghao Zhao
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huanzhang Li
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Xia
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yaning Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuekun Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yixin Shi
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hao Xing
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tian Qu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenbin Ma
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Department of Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730 People’s Republic of China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
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