D.P. Dash, PhD, PGCHET

Dr. D.P. Dash is a New York State Department of Health certified clinical Laboratory Director in Oncology (Molecular and Cellular Tumor Markers) and Genetics Testing (Molecular).  He earned his PhD in genomics at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCHET), also at Queen's University Belfast.  Dr.

MV(4;11): A model of human AML (acute myeloid leukemia)

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disorder of the progenitor cells in myeloid hematopoiesis and represents a genetically heterogeneous cancer. The onset of AML is thought to require cooperation between active proliferation and defects in myeloid differentiation, which often results in chromosomal translocation (Gilliland et al., 2004). The annual incidence of AML is ~1.8 per 100,000 people with incidence increasing significantly with age.  Clinically, a number of novel therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes in AML are being investigated. However, even with the advances in therapies and improvements in early diagnosis, the majority of patients will die from their disease.

MDA-MB-231-luc-D3H2LN: A valuable model for triple-negative breast cancer research

Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among women. One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime, and about 10-20% of those women (more than one out of every 10) will be diagnosed with a triple-negative sub-type (ER-, PR- and HER2-). There is intense interest in developing new drugs that can treat this kind of breast cancer. Unfortunately, there are only a few preclinical models that mimic this expression profile.

Measuring Tumor Antigen-Specific Immunity Through ELISpot and FluoroSpot

Enhancement of the tumor antigen-specific response is an intended outcome of immunotherapy. Be it through an acute increase in anti-tumor immunity or formation of long-lived immunological memory, drugs that successfully boost the host adaptive immune response have a better chance of clinical success1.

Subcutaneous and systemic preclinical modeling of A20 murine B cell lymphoma

Lymphomas represent a set of lymphoid cell malignancies that can range from indolent to aggressive. B cell-derived lymphomas, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), are the most prevalent, but this disease can also originate from T cells. In 2018, an estimated 74,680 new cases of NHL in the United States will be diagnosed, and 19,910 patient deaths will occur. While the five-year survival rate for NHL is relatively high at 71%,[1] recurrence is common, so continued discovery of improved treatments for lymphoma is important for long term survival of these patients.

Focal radiation in the murine 4T1-luc2 mammary cancer model

The use of immuno-oncology therapies have seen remarkable progress in the last five years and are currently undergoing clinical trial use in combination with a variety of agents including radiation therapy (RT).1 RT is a main-stay in clinical oncology treatments with approximately 60 percent of cancer patients receiving RT at some point during their care. The clinical prevalence of RT underpins the need for effective testing of radiation combinations in the preclinical setting. In order to do this, baseline sensitivity of mouse tumor models to radiation is required.

PyMT – a transplantable murine model of breast cancer

Breast cancer remains one of the most prolific and life-threatening diseases among women worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, among US women in 2017, there were approximately 253,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer resulting in 41,000 deaths.[1] Approximately 6-10% of new breast cancer cases (15,000-25,000) are diagnosed as metastatic (Stage IV). However, it is thought that 20-30% of all breast cancers will become metastatic over time.[1]

Targeting B Cell malignancies? Raji-Luc is a model to test CD19-directed CAR-T cells and other novel approaches

While the direct contribution of CD19 to human B cell cancers is still under investigation, its expression is found on a majority of B cell malignancies. For example, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B cell lymphomas, and B cell leukemias demonstrate 80%, 88%, and 100% CD19 expression, respectively.1 ALL presents with an overproduction of lymphoblasts in the bone marrow that continuously multiply resulting in the inhibition of normal hematopoietic cell production.

MM.1S: A model for multiple myeloma

It is estimated that in 2017 there will be about 30,000 new cases diagnosed and about 13,000 patient deaths from multiple myeloma. However, it is a relatively uncommon type of cancer with a lifetime risk of 1 in 143 (0.7%). The risk of being diagnosed with multiple myeloma increases as people age, with the majority of people being diagnosed at age 65 or older. Men are slightly more likely to develop multiple myeloma than women and African Americans are twice as likely to develop this type of cancer. However, the greatest risk factor for begin diagnosed with multiple myeloma is already having a plasma cell disease. Patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) or solitary plasmacytoma will eventually develop multiple myeloma.

CT26: Murine colon carcinoma

Preclinically, the murine CT26 colon carcinoma line has become a platform model for evaluating the potential of drug combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. It is a highly immunogenic tumor and tends to show objective response rates to a number of commercially available checkpoint inhibitors. At Labcorp, we have run this model more than a dozen times in the past nine months, with additional studies being scheduled regularly.