Biomedical subjects

Nicholas McGranahan

Publications and source records attributed to Nicholas McGranahan.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Odon: an ultra-fast viewer for spatial proteomics.

MOTIVATION: Multiplexed spatial proteomics and spatial transcriptomics generate large, high-dimensional imaging datasets that are challenging to visualize efficiently, particularly at whole-slide and cohort scale. Visualization is an essential step for rapid detection of staining artefacts, such as protein aggregates or non-specific staining. RESULTS: Here, we present Odon, a native Rust desktop viewer designed for rapid, interactive exploration of multiplex imaging data on a standard laptop. Odon is primarily built around the OME-Zarr imaging format, and supports annotations via GeoJSON and GeoParquet, with secondary support for SpatialData, Xenium containers, and TIFF. Data can be stored locally or streamed directly from HTTP or S3-compatible object storage using viewport-driven tile loading. Odon incorporates a highly optimized rendering engine designed for viewport-driven tile loading and GPU-based compositing. In scripted benchmarks using synthetic multiplex OME-Zarr datasets, Odon showed lower peak memory use, lower affine-derived zoom-step error, and faster warm-start image loading than napari and QuPath under the tested conditions. Its GPU-based compositing pipeline also enables smooth rendering and interaction with >1 000 000 segmented cells. Odon further supports integrated visual analytics, including live thresholding and cell selection, and a mosaic mode for simultaneous viewing of hundreds of regions of interest in cohort and tissue microarray studies. Together, these features establish Odon as a high-performance platform for scalable visualization of spatial proteomics data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Source code and compiled installers are available at https://github.com/alexcoulton/odon.

Proteomics↗

PubMed2026

Plasma signals of lung tumor promotion for molecular cancer prevention.

Predicting lung cancer risk would enhance prevention trials. Although the Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcome Study (CANTOS) trial demonstrated reduced lung cancer incidence with interleukin (IL)-1β inhibition, the high number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent lung cancer limits its use in unselected populations. Using machine learning, we identified a 14-protein plasma signature predicting lung cancer more than 5 years before diagnosis. The signature, validated across eight cohorts, was elevated in current smokers and individuals exposed to particulate matter (PM) and linked to lung myeloid and alveolar cells. In epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-driven lung adenocarcinoma, diverse epithelial lineages converged on a keratin8+/claudin4+ alveolar transitional state (KAC), whose transcriptional programs correlated with signature emergence. Components of the signature were induced by PM, oncogenic EGFR, or IL-1β, whereas IL-1β inhibition restrained PM-driven KAC expansion and early tumorigenesis. In CANTOS, the signature identified individuals who seemed to benefit more from anti-IL-1β therapy, lowering the NNT threshold and nominating circulating signals of tumor promotion for prevention.

Humans↗

PubMed2024

Pan-cancer analysis of biallelic inactivation in tumor suppressor genes identifies KEAP1 zygosity as a predictive biomarker in lung cancer.

The canonical model of tumor suppressor gene (TSG)-mediated oncogenesis posits that loss of both alleles is necessary for inactivation. Here, through allele-specific analysis of sequencing data from 48,179 cancer patients, we define the prevalence, selective pressure for, and functional consequences of biallelic inactivation across TSGs. TSGs largely assort into distinct classes associated with either pan-cancer (Class 1) or lineage-specific (Class 2) patterns of selection for biallelic loss, although some TSGs are predominantly monoallelically inactivated (Class 3/4). We demonstrate that selection for biallelic inactivation can be utilized to identify driver genes in non-canonical contexts, including among variants of unknown significance (VUSs) of several TSGs such as KEAP1. Genomic, functional, and clinical data collectively indicate that KEAP1 VUSs phenocopy established KEAP1 oncogenic alleles and that zygosity, rather than variant classification, is predictive of therapeutic response. TSG zygosity is therefore a fundamental determinant of disease etiology and therapeutic sensitivity.

Kelch-Like ECH-Associated Protein 1↗