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Barnes SA, Audsley KM, Newnes HV, Fernandez S, de Jong E, Waithman J, Foley B. Type I interferon subtypes differentially activate the anti-leukaemic function of natural killer cells. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1050718. [PMID: 36505400 PMCID: PMC9731670 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1050718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have an intrinsic ability to detect and eliminate leukaemic cells. Cellular therapies using cytokine-activated NK cells have emerged as promising treatments for patients with advanced leukaemia. However, not all patients respond to current NK cell therapies, and thus improvements in efficacy are required. Type I interferons (IFN-I) are a family of potent immunomodulatory cytokines with a known ability to modulate NK cell responses against cancer. Although the human IFN-I family comprises 16 distinct subtypes, only IFNα2 has been widely explored as an anti-cancer agent. Here, we investigated the individual immunomodulatory effects each IFNα subtype and IFNβ had on NK cell functionality to determine whether a particular subtype confers enhanced effector activity against leukaemia. Importantly, IFNα14 and IFNβ were identified as superior activators of NK cell effector function in vitro. To test the ability of these subtypes to enhance NK cell activity in vivo, IFN-I stimulation was overlaid onto a standard ex vivo expansion protocol to generate NK cells for adoptive cell therapy. Interestingly, infusion of NK cells pre-activated with IFNα14, but not IFNβ, significantly prolonged survival in a preclinical model of leukaemia compared to NK cells expanded without IFN-I. Collectively, these results highlight the diverse immunomodulatory potencies of individual IFN-I subtypes and support further investigation into the use of IFNα14 to favourably modulate NK cells against leukaemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha A. Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Katherine M. Audsley
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Hannah V. Newnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Sonia Fernandez
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Emma de Jong
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Jason Waithman
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia,*Correspondence: Bree Foley,
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Newnes HV, Armitage JD, Audsley KM, Bosco A, Waithman J. Directing the Future Breakthroughs in Immunotherapy: The Importance of a Holistic Approach to the Tumour Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13235911. [PMID: 34885021 PMCID: PMC8656826 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Immunotherapies have changed the way we treat cancer and, while some patients have benefitted greatly, there are still those that do not respond to therapy. Understanding why some patients respond to therapy and others do not is critical in developing new immunotherapeutic strategies. The increasing awareness of the importance of investigating the tumour in its entirety, including the surrounding tissue and role of various immune cells is helping to differentiate responders and non-responders. In addition, the resolution gained by the development of sophisticated bioinformatic technologies allows for a deeper understanding of the complex roles of individual cells in the tumour. This advancement will be critical for the development of novel therapies to treat cancer. Abstract Immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancers by exploiting the immune system to eliminate tumour cells. Despite the impressive response in a proportion of patients, clinical benefit has been limited thus far. A significant focus to date has been the identification of specific markers associated with response to immunotherapy. Unfortunately, the heterogeneity between patients and cancer types means identifying markers of response to therapy is inherently complex. There is a growing appreciation for the role of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in directing response to immunotherapy. The TME is highly heterogeneous and contains immune, stromal, vascular and tumour cells that all communicate and interact with one another to form solid tumours. This review analyses major cell populations present within the TME with a focus on their diverse and often contradictory roles in cancer and how this informs our understanding of immunotherapy. Furthermore, we discuss the role of integrated omics in providing a comprehensive view of the TME and demonstrate the potential of leveraging multi-omics to decipher the underlying mechanisms of anti-tumour immunity for the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies.
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Audsley KM, Wagner T, Ta C, Newnes HV, Buzzai AC, Barnes SA, Wylie B, Armitage J, Kaisho T, Bosco A, McDonnell A, Cruickshank M, Fear VS, Foley B, Waithman J. IFNβ Is a Potent Adjuvant for Cancer Vaccination Strategies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:735133. [PMID: 34552594 PMCID: PMC8450325 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.735133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccination drives the generation of anti-tumor T cell immunity and can be enhanced by the inclusion of effective immune adjuvants such as type I interferons (IFNs). Whilst type I IFNs have been shown to promote cross-priming of T cells, the role of individual subtypes remains unclear. Here we systematically compared the capacity of distinct type I IFN subtypes to enhance T cell responses to a whole-cell vaccination strategy in a pre-clinical murine model. We show that vaccination in combination with IFNβ induces significantly greater expansion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells than the other type I IFN subtypes tested. Optimal expansion was dependent on the presence of XCR1+ dendritic cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD40/CD40L signaling. Therapeutically, vaccination with IFNβ delayed tumor progression when compared to vaccination without IFN. When vaccinated in combination with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint blockade therapy (CPB), the inclusion of IFNβ associated with more mice experiencing complete regression and a trend in increased overall survival. This work demonstrates the potent adjuvant activity of IFNβ, highlighting its potential to enhance cancer vaccination strategies alone and in combination with CPB.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/pharmacology
- Animals
- B7-H1 Antigen/antagonists & inhibitors
- B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cancer Vaccines/pharmacology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Proliferation/drug effects
- Female
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Interferon-beta/genetics
- Interferon-beta/metabolism
- Interferon-beta/pharmacology
- Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/drug effects
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/pathology
- Melanoma, Experimental/therapy
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- Skin Neoplasms/immunology
- Skin Neoplasms/metabolism
- Skin Neoplasms/pathology
- Skin Neoplasms/therapy
- Vaccination
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Audsley
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Teagan Wagner
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Clara Ta
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Hannah V. Newnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Anthony C. Buzzai
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
- Department of Experimental Dermatology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Samantha A. Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Ben Wylie
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Jesse Armitage
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Tsuneyasu Kaisho
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Anthony Bosco
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Alison McDonnell
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Mark Cruickshank
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Vanessa S. Fear
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Jason Waithman
- Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
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Barnes S, Schilizzi O, Audsley KM, Newnes HV, Foley B. Deciphering the Immunological Phenomenon of Adaptive Natural Killer (NK) Cells and Cytomegalovirus (CMV). Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228864. [PMID: 33238550 PMCID: PMC7700325 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play a significant and vital role in the first line of defense against infection through their ability to target cells without prior sensitization. They also contribute significantly to the activation and recruitment of both innate and adaptive immune cells through the production of a range of cytokines and chemokines. In the context of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, NK cells and CMV have co-evolved side by side to employ several mechanisms to evade one another. However, during this co-evolution the discovery of a subset of long-lived NK cells with enhanced effector potential, increased antibody-dependent responses and the potential to mediate immune memory has revolutionized the field of NK cell biology. The ability of a virus to imprint on the NK cell receptor repertoire resulting in the expansion of diverse, highly functional NK cells to this day remains a significant immunological phenomenon that only occurs in the context of CMV. Here we review our current understanding of the development of these NK cells, commonly referred to as adaptive NK cells and their current role in transplantation, infection, vaccination and cancer immunotherapy to decipher the complex role of CMV in dictating NK cell functional fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Barnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Ophelia Schilizzi
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Katherine M. Audsley
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Hannah V. Newnes
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia; (S.B.); (O.S.); (K.M.A.); (H.V.N.)
- Correspondence:
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5
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Strauss RP, Audsley KM, Passman AM, van Vuuren JH, Finch-Edmondson ML, Callus BA, Yeoh GC. Loss of ARF/INK4A Promotes Liver Progenitor Cell Transformation Toward Tumorigenicity Supporting Their Role in Hepatocarcinogenesis. Gene Expr 2020; 20:39-52. [PMID: 32317048 PMCID: PMC7284103 DOI: 10.3727/105221620x15874935364268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Liver progenitor cells (LPCs) contribute to liver regeneration during chronic damage and are implicated as cells of origin for liver cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The CDKN2A locus, which encodes the tumor suppressors alternate reading frame protein (ARF) and INK4A, was identified as one of the most frequently altered genes in HCC. This study demonstrates that inactivation of CDKN2A enhances tumorigenic transformation of LPCs. The level of ARF and INK4A expression was determined in a panel of transformed and nontransformed wild-type LPC lines. Moreover, the transforming potential of LPCs with inactivated CDKN2A was shown to be enhanced in LPCs derived from Arf-/- and CDKN2Afl/fl mice and in wild-type LPCs following CRISPR-Cas9 suppression of CDKN2A. ARF and INK4A abundance is consistently reduced or ablated following LPC transformation. Arf-/- and CDKN2A-/- LPCs displayed hallmarks of transformation such as anchorage-independent and more rapid growth than control LPC lines with unaltered CDKN2A. Transformation was not immediate, suggesting that the loss of CDKN2A alone is insufficient. Further analysis revealed decreased p21 expression as well as reduced epithelial markers and increased mesenchymal markers, indicative of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, following inactivation of the CDKN2A gene were required for tumorigenic transformation. Loss of ARF and INK4A enhances the propensity of LPCs to undergo a tumorigenic transformation. As LPCs represent a cancer stem cell candidate, identifying CDKN2A as a driver of LPC transformation highlights ARF and INK4A as viable prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn P. Strauss
- *School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- †Centre for Medical Research, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Katherine M. Audsley
- *School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - Adam M. Passman
- *School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- †Centre for Medical Research, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Joanne H. van Vuuren
- †Centre for Medical Research, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | | | - Bernard A. Callus
- *School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
| | - George C. Yeoh
- *School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- †Centre for Medical Research, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
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Buzzai AC, Wagner T, Audsley KM, Newnes HV, Barrett LW, Barnes S, Wylie BC, Stone S, McDonnell A, Fear VS, Foley B, Waithman J. Diverse Anti-Tumor Immune Potential Driven by Individual IFNα Subtypes. Front Immunol 2020; 11:542. [PMID: 32308653 PMCID: PMC7145903 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies harnessing T cell immunity have shown remarkable clinical success for the management of cancer. However, only a proportion of patients benefit from these treatments. The presence of type I interferon (IFN) within the tumor microenvironment is critical for driving effective tumor-specific T cell immunity. Individuals can produce 12 distinct subtypes of IFNα, which all signal through a common receptor. Despite reported differences in anti-viral potencies, the concept that distinct IFNα subtypes can improve anti-cancer treatments remains unclear. We tested whether expression of unique IFNα subtypes confined to the tumor microenvironment enhances tumor control. This was systematically evaluated by transplantation of B16 murine melanoma cells secreting five unique IFNα subtypes (B16_IFNα2; B16_IFNα4; B16_IFNα5; B16_IFNα6; B16_IFNα9) into a pre-clinical murine model. We show that IFNα2 and IFNα9 are the only subtypes capable of completely controlling tumor outgrowth, with this protection dependent on the presence of an adaptive immune response. We next determined whether these differences extended to other model systems and found that the adoptive transfer of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells engineered to secrete IFNα9 delays tumor growth significantly and improves survival, whereas no enhanced survival was observed using T cells secreting IFNα4. Overall, our data shows that the expression of distinct IFNα subtypes within the tumor microenvironment results in different anti-tumor activities, and differentially affects the efficacy of a cancer therapy targeting established disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony C Buzzai
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Teagan Wagner
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Katherine M Audsley
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Hannah V Newnes
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Lucy W Barrett
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Samantha Barnes
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Ben C Wylie
- PYC Therapeutics, QEII Medical Centre, Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Shane Stone
- PYC Therapeutics, QEII Medical Centre, Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Alison McDonnell
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.,National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, QEII Medical Centre, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Vanessa S Fear
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Bree Foley
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
| | - Jason Waithman
- Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia
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Audsley KM, McDonnell AM, Waithman J. Cross-Presenting XCR1 + Dendritic Cells as Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy. Cells 2020; 9:cells9030565. [PMID: 32121071 PMCID: PMC7140519 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of dendritic cells (DCs) to generate effective anti-tumor T cell immunity has garnered much attention over the last thirty-plus years. Despite this, limited clinical benefit has been demonstrated thus far. There has been a revival of interest in DC-based treatment strategies following the remarkable patient responses observed with novel checkpoint blockade therapies, due to the potential for synergistic treatment. Cross-presenting DCs are recognized for their ability to prime CD8+ T cell responses to directly induce tumor death. Consequently, they are an attractive target for next-generation DC-based strategies. In this review, we define the universal classification system for cross-presenting DCs, and the vital role of this subset in mediating anti-tumor immunity. Furthermore, we will detail methods of targeting these DCs both ex vivo and in vivo to boost their function and drive effective anti-tumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Audsley
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Correspondence: (K.M.A.); (A.M.M.); (J.W.); Tel.: +61-08-6319-1198 (K.M.A); +61-08-6319-1744 (J.W.)
| | - Alison M. McDonnell
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, The University of Western Australia, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Correspondence: (K.M.A.); (A.M.M.); (J.W.); Tel.: +61-08-6319-1198 (K.M.A); +61-08-6319-1744 (J.W.)
| | - Jason Waithman
- Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Correspondence: (K.M.A.); (A.M.M.); (J.W.); Tel.: +61-08-6319-1198 (K.M.A); +61-08-6319-1744 (J.W.)
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