Biomedical subjects

Qi Pan

Publications and source records attributed to Qi Pan.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Lymphangiogenesis-related gene signature-based risk model for prognostic assessment of cervical cancer: immune-metabolic characterization and molecular subtype analysis.

BACKGROUND: Lymphangiogenesis promotes tumor dissemination and may shape the immune contexture of cervical cancer, yet lymphangiogenesis-related prognostic stratification and its immunometabolic implications remain insufficiently defined in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC). METHODS: TCGA-CESC transcriptomes and clinical data were obtained from UCSC Xena and integrated with normal cervix tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project after batch correction. Prognostic LYMRGs were first identified from the differentially expressed set using univariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. Candidate genes were then reduced using an L1-regularized Cox model (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator), and the remaining markers were entered into a multivariable Cox regression to obtain the final coefficients and compute an individualized risk score. The model's prognostic value was further assessed in an independent Gene Expression Omnibus dataset. In addition, expression patterns of the signature genes were leveraged for molecular subtyping of TCGA samples via non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Immune infiltration and immunotherapy-associated characteristics were interrogated through a multi-algorithm strategy (single-sample gene set enrichment analysis, CIBERSORT, ESTIMATE, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE), and Immunophenoscore . Additional analyses included pathway enrichment (GSEA/GO/KEGG), drug sensitivity prediction (pRRophetic/CellMiner), and ceRNA network analysis. RESULTS: A six-gene LYMRG signature robustly stratified survival. High-risk patients had significantly worse overall survival in The Cancer Genome Atlas with AUCs of 0.819/0.801/0.801 at 1/3/5 years, and in GSE52903 (P = 0.001) with AUCs of 0.733/0.719/0.725. NMF identified two subtypes with distinct prognosis (P = 0.01) and divergent immune landscapes. Risk groups and subtypes exhibited consistent differences in immune infiltration, checkpoint expression, TIDE/IPS patterns, and pathway enrichment. Predicted chemosensitivity differed by risk group, and the ceRNA network suggested candidate upstream lncRNA regulators of the signature. CONCLUSION: A lymphangiogenesis-related six-gene model enables clinically meaningful prognostic stratification of CESC and links lymphangiogenesis programs to distinct tumor immune phenotypes and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

cancer↗

PubMed2026

Single-cell analysis of the human retina reveals stage-linked microglial states and neural-immune circuit rewiring in diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of vision loss worldwide. Here, we conduct single-cell RNA sequencing of twenty human retina samples (from living and post-mortem donors) across non-diabetic, diabetic, and DR states to create a comprehensive transcriptomic atlas. We identify two stable microglial populations-homeostatic and inflammatory-that exist along a functional continuum, plus a neutrophil cluster within C1QA+ myeloid cells with dynamic transitions occurring throughout disease progression. Module-level analysis reveals divergent transcriptional trajectories: homeostatic microglia maintain energetic programs while selectively upregulating stress elements, whereas inflammatory microglia layer additional pro-inflammatory programs onto preserved biosynthetic foundations. Eleven co-expression modules organize into two major axes: an inflammatory-stress axis, and a regulatory/metabolic-motility axis, with a stable translation module persisting across disease stages. Cell communication analysis further highlights sophisticated neural-immune interactions, particularly between photoreceptors and microglia. Our findings provide insights into the complex cellular dynamics of DR progression and suggest potential therapeutic targets for early intervention.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Adjuvant tislelizumab, lenvatinib, and capecitabine for resected biliary tract cancer: a prospective phase II trial.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of a triplet adjuvant regimen consisting of tislelizumab, lenvatinib, and capecitabine following radical resection in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC). METHODS: In this open-label, single-arm trial, patients with histologically confirmed BTC who had undergone curative resection were enrolled to receive adjuvant therapy within 4-16 weeks postoperatively. The treatment regimen consisted of tislelizumab (200 mg), lenvatinib (8 mg), and capecitabine (1250 mg/m2). The primary endpoint was the 1-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate. Secondary endpoints included median DFS, 2-year DFS rate, and 1- and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates, as well as safety profiles. Exploratory analyses were conducted to evaluate genomic alterations and prognostic biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Between February 24 and December 31, 2022, a total of 50 patients underwent treatment. As of the data cutoff (April 30, 2025), the median follow-up duration was 29.3 months (95% CI: 27.2-30.4). Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma constituted 78% of cases, with TNM stage III or IV observed in 40% of patients and poorly differentiated tumors identified in another 40%. The median DFS was calculated at 12.7 months (95% CI: 6.4-19.0), with DFS rates being reported as 55.5% (95% CI: 51.4%-57.6%) at 1 year and 30.8% (95% CI: 28.6%-32.9%) at 2 years, respectively. Median OS was not reached; however, the 1-year OS rate stood at an impressive figure of 93.8% (95% CI: 91.7%-95.9%) while the 3-year OS rate declined to 54.4% (95% CI: 50.0%-58.4%). By the exploratory analyses, FSIP2 mutation was associated shorter DFS (P < 0.001). Treatment-related grade 3 adverse events occurred in 20% of patients, with no treatment-related deaths or grade ≥ 4 toxicities reported. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant tislelizumab, lenvatinib, and capecitabine demonstrated clinical activity and tolerable safety in patients with resected BTC. Despite not meeting the primary endpoint, continued follow-up and further evaluation are warranted to better define the potential role of this combination regimen. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05254847; registered prospectively on February 15, 2022.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Strain-Promoted mRNA Transdermal Delivery by Lipoic Lipid Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Skin Genome Editing.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-mRNA formulations have revolutionized the field of nucleic acid therapeutics, yet their broader clinical application is constrained by inflammatory side effects and oxidative stress, particularly in the context of inflammatory diseases. Herein, we report the rational design and synthesis of a lipoic acid-based ionizable lipid library to address these limitations. By leveraging the antioxidant properties and thiol-mediated uptake potential of lipoic acid, we identified LA-A2B2CD3 as an optimal candidate through a structure-activity relationship study and design of experiment (DOE) optimization. LA-A2B2CD3 LNPs exhibited superior reactive oxygen species scavenging, enhanced mRNA translation, and reduced inflammatory cytokine production in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that the efficient cellular uptake and the transdermal delivery capacity of LA-A2B2CD3 heavily rely on the reducible disulfide ring of lipoic acid. Application of LA-A2B2CD3 LNPs for the localized transdermal delivery of Cas9 mRNA and CD93 sgRNA in a murine model of psoriasis resulted in effective CD93 genome editing and the inhibition of the CD93-p38 MAPK-AKT-SMAD2/3 pathway, leading to significant therapeutic improvement. This work presents a robust, biocompatible LNP platform with minimized immunogenicity and strong potential for genome-editing therapies in inflammatory conditions, offering a transformative approach for the mRNA-based treatment of skin and other inflammation-related disorders.

Animals↗

PubMed2024

Genetic linkage disequilibrium of deleterious mutations in threatened mammals.

The impact of negative selection against deleterious mutations in endangered species remains underexplored. Recent studies have measured mutation load by comparing the accumulation of deleterious mutations, however, this method is most effective when comparing within and between populations of phylogenetically closely related species. Here, we introduced new statistics, LDcor, and its standardized form nLDcor, which allows us to detect and compare global linkage disequilibrium of deleterious mutations across species using unphased genotypes. These statistics measure averaged pairwise standardized covariance and standardize mutation differences based on the standard deviation of alleles to reflect selection intensity. We then examined selection strength in the genomes of seven mammals. Tigers exhibited an over-dispersion of deleterious mutations, while gorillas, giant pandas, and golden snub-nosed monkeys displayed negative linkage disequilibrium. Furthermore, the distribution of deleterious mutations in threatened mammals did not reveal consistent trends. Our results indicate that these newly developed statistics could help us understand the genetic burden of threatened species.

Animals↗