Bacterial Distribution and Community Structure in Beef Cattle Liver and Bile at Slaughter

In this study, the distribution of hygienic indicator bacteria in cattle livers and bile was examined at slaughterhouses. First, 127 cattle livers with gallbladders were carefully eviscerated from the carcasses at 10 slaughterhouses. Microbiological examination showed that 9 bile (7.1%) and 19 liver parenchyma (15.0%) samples were positive for the family Enterobacteriaceae (EB) with means ± SD of 3.68 ± 4.63 log CFU/mL and 1.59 ± 2.47 log CFU/g, respectively; thus, bacterial contamination was apparent even at the postevisceration stage. Subsequently, 70 cattle livers were obtained at the postprocessing/storage stage from 7 of the ten slaughterhouses; microbiological analysis revealed greater means of EB in the liver parenchyma (means ± SD of 3.00 ± 3.89 log CFU/g, P =0.011) than those at postevisceration stage, suggesting that bacterial dissemination and/or replication occurred in the liver parenchyma during processing and storage. According to 16S rRNA ion semiconductor sequencing analysis of representative samples from 12 cattle, Proteobacteria , Firmicutes , and Actinobacteria were dominant in both the parenchyma and bile, in which EB/ Escherichia coli were predominate among EB-rich livers. These results suggest that bile plays a role as a vehicle for bacterial transmission to the liver parenchyma. This is the first study to demonstrate bacterial distribution and community structure in the liver and biliary microecosystem of cattle at slaughter. Our data provide possible implication of EB testing in bile to screen cattle livers contaminated with high levels of fecal indicator bacteria.

Utilisation of semiconductor sequencing for detection of actionable fusions in solid tumors

Oncogenic fusions represent compelling druggable targets in solid tumours highlighted by the recent site agnostic FDA approval of larotrectinib for NTRK rearrangements. However screening for fusions in routinely processed tissue samples is constrained due to degradation of nucleic acid as a result of formalin fixation., To investigate the clinical utility of semiconductor sequencing optimised for detection of actionable fusion transcripts in formalin fixed samples, we have undertaken an analysis of test trending data generated by a clinically validated next generation sequencing platform designed to capture 867 of the most clinically relevant druggable driver-partner oncogenic fusions. Here we showacross a real-life cohort of 1112 patients with solid tumours that actionable fusions occur at high frequency (7.4%) with linkage to a wide range of targeted therapy protocols including seven fusion-drug matches with FDA/EMA approval and/or NCCN/ESMO recommendations and 80 clinical trials. The majority of actionable fusions identified were independent of tumour type in keeping with signalling via evolutionary conserved Wnt/β-catenin, RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT/MTOR, PLCy/PKC and JAK/STAT pathways. Taken together our data indicates that semiconductor sequencing for detection of actionable fusions can be integrated into routine diagnostic pathology workflows enabling the identification of personalised treatment options that have potential to improve clinical cancer management across many tumour types.Oncogenic fusions represent compelling druggable targets in solid tumours highlighted by the recent site agnostic FDA approval of larotrectinib for NTRK rearrangements. However screening for fusions in routinely processed tissue samples is constrained due to degradation of nucleic acid as a result of formalin fixation., To investigate the clinical utility of semiconductor sequencing optimised for detection of actionable fusion transcripts in formalin fixed samples, we have undertaken an analysis of test trending data generated by a clinically validated next generation sequencing platform designed to capture 867 of the most clinically relevant druggable driver-partner oncogenic fusions. Here we showacross a real-life cohort of 1112 patients with solid tumours that actionable fusions occur at high frequency (7.4%) with linkage to a wide range of targeted therapy protocols including seven fusion-drug matches with FDA/EMA approval and/or NCCN/ESMO recommendations and 80 clinical trials. The majority of actionable fusions identified were independent of tumour type in keeping with signalling via evolutionary conserved Wnt/β-catenin, RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, PI3K/AKT/MTOR, PLCy/PKC and JAK/STAT pathways. Taken together our data indicates that semiconductor sequencing for detection of actionable fusions can be integrated into routine diagnostic pathology workflows enabling the identification of personalised treatment options that have potential to improve clinical cancer management across many tumour types.

Utilisation of semiconductor sequencing for the detection of predictive biomarkers in glioblastoma

The standard treatment for glioblastoma involves a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy but have limited impact on survival. The exponential increase in targeted agents directed at pivotal oncogenic pathways now provide new therapeutic opportunities for this tumour type. However, lack of comprehensive precision oncology testing at diagnosis means such therapeutic opportunities are potentially overlooked.To investigate the role of semiconductor sequencing for detection of predictive biomarkers in routine glioblastoma samples we have undertaken analysis of test trending data generated by a clinically validated next generation sequencing platform designed to capture 764 of the leading anti-cancer targeted agents/combinations and immunotherapies via analysis of actionable genomic variants distributed across 505 genes. Analysis was performed across a cohort of 55 glioblastoma patients.Analysis of trending data has revealed a complex and rich actionable mutational landscape in which 166 actionable mutations were detected across 36 genes linked to 17 off label targeted therapy protocols and 111 clinical trials. The majority of patients harboured three or more actionable mutations affecting key cancer related regulatory networks including the PI3K/AKT/MTOR and RAS/RAF/MEK/MAPK signalling pathways, DNA-damage repair pathways and cell cycle checkpoints. Linkage with immunotherapy and PARP inhibitors was identified in 44% of glioblastoma patients as a consequence of alterations in DNA-damage repair genes.Taken together our data indicates that precision oncology testing utilising semiconductor sequencing can be used to identify a broad therapeutic armamentarium of targeted therapies and immunotherapies that can be potentially employed for the improved clinical management of glioblastoma patients.

Brief history of high-throughput nucleic acid sequencing methods.

The processes occurring during the enzymatic growth of the DNA chain in the form of elongation of the molecules, the release of pyrophosphate, proton, thermal energy, and an increase in electrical impedance, which are used in various methods of high-throughput DNA sequencing by synthesis, are briefly considered. The detection of DNA chain growth is controlled by high-voltage gel electrophoresis and has limited scalability. As for mentioned above other by-products of DNA chain polymerization, their detection can be easily scalable, which has led to the emergence of methods for whole genome sequencing of new generations of DNA, which have received the widely used abbreviation NGS - Next Generation Sequencing. However, the attribution of any new sequencing method to a particular generation is sometimes difficult due to the fact that the principle used in it was born earlier than the other one was implemented, which turned out to be less productive in the end. In addition, it is more important to distinguish the methods of new DNA sequencing into two groups in which the massive parallel sequencing of identical matrices takes place or the sequencing of single DNA molecules takes place and last one have received the designation monomolecular sequencing. In this review, along with the classical Sanger method of DNA sequencing, which is still the "gold standard", pyrosequencing, semiconductor sequencing, thermosequencing, electronic sequencing, fluorescent bridge sequencing and sequencing using nanoballs from the first group, as well as monomolecular methods – tSMS sequencing, SMRT sequencing and nanopore sequencing are considered. Attention is paid to the costs of DNA sequencing and the prospects for its development.