This article is a summary of a half-day continuing education course jointly sponsored by the Society for Toxicologic Pathology (STP) and the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) at the annual meeting of the STP in Baltimore, MD, held June 16-19, 2024. Presenters discussed pathology, toxicology, immunotoxicology, and regulatory implications of findings in the immune system in context of development of immunomodulatory therapeutics. Interpretation of pathology findings requires knowledge of immune system morphology and function including species-specific differences and spontaneous findings in animal model systems. A weight of evidence (WoE) approach is required to integrate pathology findings and immunotoxicology assay results to assess translatability to humans. Communication and collaboration among scientists of various disciplines can be instrumental in optimal generation and interpretation of appropriate data for development of immunomodulatory therapeutics.
Enhanced histopathology of the immune system uses a precise, compartment-specific, and semi-quantitative evaluation of lymphoid organs in toxicology studies. The assessment of lymphocyte populations in tissues is subject to sampling variability and limited distinctive cytologic features of lymphocyte subpopulations as seen with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Although immunohistochemistry is necessary for definitive characterization of T- and B-cell compartments, routine toxicologic assessments are based solely on H&E slides. Here, a deep learning (DL) model was developed using normal rats to quantify relevant compartments of the spleen, including periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths, follicles, germinal centers, and marginal zones from H&E slides. Slides were scanned, destained, dual labeled with CD3 and CD79a chromogenic immunohistochemistry, and rescanned to generate exact co-registered images that served as the ground truth for training and validation. The DL model identified individual splenic compartments with high accuracy (97.8% Dice similarity coefficient) directly from H&E-stained tissue. The DL model was utilized to study the normal range of lymphoid compartment area and cellularity. Future implementation of our DL model and expanding this approach to other lymphoid tissues have the potential to improve accuracy and precision in enhanced histopathology evaluation of the immune system with concurrent gains in time efficiency for the pathologist.
Mounting evidence suggests that the immune landscape within prostate tumors influences progression, metastasis, treatment response, and patient outcomes. In this study, we investigated the spatial density of innate immune cell populations within NOD.SCID orthotopic prostate cancer xenografts following microinjection of human DU145 prostate cancer cells. Our laboratory has previously developed nanoscale liposomes that attach to leukocytes via conjugated E-selectin (ES) and kill cancer cells via TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed on tumor samples to identify and quantify leukocyte infiltration for different periods of tumor growth and E-selectin/TRAIL (EST) liposome treatments. We examined the spatial-temporal dynamics of three different immune cell types infiltrating tumors using QuPath image analysis software. IHC staining revealed that F4/80+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were the most abundant immune cells in all groups, irrespective of time or treatment. The density of TAMs decreased over the course of tumor growth and decreased in response to EST liposome treatments. Intratumoral versus marginal analysis showed a greater presence of TAMs in the marginal regions at 3 weeks of tumor growth which became more evenly distributed over time and in tumors treated with EST liposomes. TUNEL staining indicated that EST liposomes significantly increased cell apoptosis in treated tumors. Additionally, confocal microscopy identified liposome-coated TAMs in both the core and periphery of tumors, highlighting the ability of liposomes to infiltrate tumors by “piggybacking” on macrophages. The results of this study indicate that TAMs represent the majority of innate immune cells within NOD.SCID orthotopic prostate tumors, and spatial density varies widely as a function of tumor size, duration of tumor growth, and treatment of EST liposomes.
Four zebra finches in a closed research colony presented with variable clinical signs, including masses, skin lesions,shivering, and/or ruffled feathers. These birds were not responsive to treatment efforts; 3 died and one was euthanized. All4 were submitted for necropsy to determine the cause of the clinical signs. Gross necropsy and histopathologic findings fromall birds resulted in a diagnosis of round cell neoplasia in multiple organs, including the skin, liver, kidney, and reproductivetract, with intranuclear inclusion bodies in the neoplastic cells. In all 4 cases, immunohistochemical staining showed strongimmunoreactivity for CD3 in 70% to 80% of the neoplastic round cells, with a relatively small subset that were immunopositivefor Pax5. These findings supported a diagnosis of T-cell lymphoma. Frozen liver tissue from one case was submittedfor next-generation sequencing (NGS), which revealed viral RNA with 100% sequence homology to canary polyomavirusstrain 34639 that had originally been identified in a European goldfinch. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded scrolls fromanother case were also submitted for NGS, which revealed viral RNA with 97.2% sequence homology to canary polyomavirusstrain 37273 that had originally been identified in a canary. To localize the virus in situ, RNAscope hybridizationwas performed using a probe designed to target the VP1 gene of the sequenced virus in frozen liver tissue. In all 4 cases,disseminated and robust hybridization signals were detected in neoplastic cells. These findings indicate that polyomaviruseshave the potential to be oncogenic in zebra finches.
Pretreatment with 3-deacyl 6-acyl phosphorylated hexaacyl disaccharide; a novel synthetic Toll-like receptor 4 agonist, preserves kidney function during ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced acute kidney injury.
The evaluation of changes in the immune system serves to determine the efficacy and potential immunotoxicologic effects of new products under development. Toxicologic pathologists play critical roles in identifying immune system changes that drive the immunosafety determination. Standard pathology evaluations of therapies and chemicals remain similar; however, biopharmaceutical therapies have moved from simply affecting the immune system to being specifically developed to modify the immune system, which can impact interpretation. Recent explosive growth in immunomodulatory therapies presents a challenge to the toxicologic pathologist, toxicologist, and regulatory reviewer in terms of evaluating the clinical relevance and potential adversity of immune system changes. Beyond the recognition of such changes, there is an increasing expectation to evaluate, describe, and interpret how therapies affect complex immune system pathways for both immunomodulatory therapies and non-immunomodulatory drugs with off-target immunotoxic effects. In this opinion piece, considerations regarding immune system evaluation, the current landscape of immunomodulatory therapies, a brief description of immunotoxicologic (and immunopathologic) endpoints, the importance of integrating such immunosafety data, and relevance to adversity determination are discussed. Importantly, we describe how the current paradigm of determining adversity for immune system changes may be challenging or insufficient and propose a harmonized and flexible approach for assessing adversity.
Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen and an emerging global health threat. Within healthcare settings, major presentations of A. baumannii include bloodstream infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The increased prevalence of ventilated patients during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii. Additionally, due to its MDR status and the lack of antimicrobial drugs in the development pipeline, the World Health Organization has designated carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii to be its priority critical pathogen for the development of novel therapeutics. To better inform the design of new treatment options, a comprehensive understanding of how the host contains A. baumannii infection is required. Here, we investigate the innate immune response to A. baumannii by assessing the impact of infection on host gene expression using NanoString technology. The transcriptional profile observed in the A. baumannii infected host is characteristic of Gram-negative bacteremia and reveals expression patterns consistent with the induction of nutritional immunity, a process by which the host exploits the availability of essential nutrient metals to curtail bacterial proliferation. The gene encoding for lipocalin-2 (Lcn2), a siderophore sequestering protein, was the most highly upregulated during A. baumannii bacteremia, of the targets assessed, and corresponds to robust LCN2 expression in tissues. Lcn2-/- mice exhibited distinct organ-specific gene expression changes including increased transcription of genes involved in metal sequestration, such as S100A8 and S100A9, suggesting a potential compensatory mechanism to perturbed metal homeostasis. In vitro, LCN2 inhibits the iron-dependent growth of A. baumannii and induces iron-regulated gene expression. To elucidate the role of LCN2 in infection, WT and Lcn2-/- mice were infected with A. baumannii using both bacteremia and pneumonia models. LCN2 was not required to control bacterial growth during bacteremia but was protective against mortality. In contrast, during pneumonia Lcn2-/- mice had increased bacterial burdens in all organs evaluated, suggesting that LCN2 plays an important role in inhibiting the survival and dissemination of A. baumannii. The control of A. baumannii infection by LCN2 is likely multifactorial, and our results suggest that impairment of iron acquisition by the pathogen is a contributing factor. Modulation of LCN2 expression or modifying the structure of LCN2 to expand upon its ability to sequester siderophores may thus represent feasible avenues for therapeutic development against this pathogen.
Pathogen monitoring and colony health management are critical components of any rodent research program. From an operational perspective, rodent facilities are protected from unwanted infectious agents by facility-specific bioexclusion criteria, sanitation of the physical environment, and personal protective equipment. Another important preventative measure is the use of room health levels to provide traffic patterns for animal care and research staff as they move between rooms of differing health status. For mice, our institution uses a tiered room level system with 6 defined categories, ranging from level 1 (strictest entry criteria) to 6 (least stringent entry criteria). Level 6 is defined as rooms with mice that have tested positive for mouse parvovirus (MPV) or mouse rotavirus (MRV) or both on sentinel serology at any point in time in the past and no decontamination. Because many of our mouse rooms had historically been positive for MPV and/or MRV and because of the high financial and logistic challenges of using repeated test-and-cull for elimination, we had tolerated the potential presence of MPV and MRV and had developed management practices that would promote 'burnout' (that is, elimination of infectious agents due to absence of susceptible hosts) of these pathogens. Analysis of sentinel data showed that we had 28 rooms in 4 facilities for which excluded pathogens had not been identified in 3 y or more. We therefore developed a hybrid testing strategy involving both PCR analysis and serology and implemented it in sentinels and in select colony mice to determine whether the rooms had undergone successful burnout and were free of MPV and MRV. All test results obtained during the assessment were negative for both viruses, and the rooms were subsequently upgraded to level 5 (free from excluded pathogens and allowing two-way movement in and out of housing room). All upgraded rooms have remained negative on subsequent quarterly routine sentinel serology for over 3 y. Our testing strategy for confirming pathogen burnout may be a useful and cost-efficient model for other academic rodent research programs that face a similar situation.
Background: SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) is an adaptor protein that negatively regulates cytokine signaling and cell proliferation. A common missense single nucleotide polymorphism in SH2B3 (rs3184504) results in substitution of tryptophan (Trp) for arginine (Arg) at amino acid 262 and is a top association signal for hypertension in human genome-wide association studies. Whether this variant is causal for hypertension, and if so, the mechanism by which it impacts pathogenesis is unknown. Methods: We used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create mice homozygous for the major (Arg/Arg) and minor (Trp/Trp) alleles of this SH2B3 polymorphism. Mice underwent angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion to evaluate differences in blood pressure (BP) elevation and end-organ damage including albuminuria and renal fibrosis. Cytokine production and Stat4 phosphorylation was also assessed in Arg/Arg and Trp/Trp T cells. Results: Trp/Trp mice exhibit 10 mmHg higher systolic BP during chronic Ang II infusion compared to Arg/Arg controls. Renal injury and perivascular fibrosis are exacerbated in Trp/Trp mice compared to Arg/Arg controls following Ang II infusion. Renal and ex vivo stimulated splenic CD8(+) T cells from Ang II-infused Trp/Trp mice produce significantly more interferon gamma (IFNg) compared to Arg/Arg controls. Interleukin-12 (IL-12)-induced IFNg production is greater in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8(+) T cells. In addition, IL-12 enhances Stat4 phosphorylation to a greater degree in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8(+) T cells, suggesting that Trp-encoding SH2B3 exhibits less negative regulation of IL-12 signaling to promote IFNg production. Finally, we demonstrated that a multi-SNP model genetically predicting increased SH2B3 expression in lymphocytes is inversely associated with hypertension and hypertensive chronic kidney disease in humans.. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that the Trp encoding allele of rs3184504 is causal for BP elevation and renal dysfunction, in part through loss of SH2B3-mediated repression of T cell IL-12 signaling leading to enhanced IFNg production.
BACKGROUND:SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) is an adaptor protein that negatively regulates cytokine signaling and cell proliferation. A common missense single nucleotide polymorphism in SH2B3 (rs3184504) results in substitution of tryptophan (Trp) for arginine (Arg) at amino acid 262 and is a top association signal for hypertension in human genome-wide association studies. Whether this variant is causal for hypertension, and if so, the mechanism by which it impacts pathogenesis is unknown. METHODS:We used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create mice homozygous for the major (Arg/Arg) and minor (Trp/Trp) alleles of this SH2B3 polymorphism. Mice underwent angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion to evaluate differences in blood pressure (BP) elevation and end-organ damage including albuminuria and renal fibrosis. Cytokine production and Stat4 phosphorylation was also assessed in Arg/Arg and Trp/Trp T cells. RESULTS:Trp/Trp mice exhibit 10 mmHg higher systolic BP during chronic Ang II infusion compared to Arg/Arg controls. Renal injury and perivascular fibrosis are exacerbated in Trp/Trp mice compared to Arg/Arg controls following Ang II infusion. Renal and ex vivo stimulated splenic CD8+ T cells from Ang II-infused Trp/Trp mice produce significantly more interferon gamma (IFNg) compared to Arg/Arg controls. Interleukin-12 (IL-12)-induced IFNg production is greater in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8+ T cells. In addition, IL-12 enhances Stat4 phosphorylation to a greater degree in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8+ T cells, suggesting that Trp-encoding SH2B3 exhibits less negative regulation of IL-12 signaling to promote IFNg production. Finally, we demonstrated that a multi-SNP model genetically predicting increased SH2B3 expression in lymphocytes is inversely associated with hypertension and hypertensive chronic kidney disease in humans.. CONCLUSIONS:Taken together, these results suggest that the Trp encoding allele of rs3184504 is causal for BP elevation and renal dysfunction, in part through loss of SH2B3-mediated repression of T cell IL-12 signaling leading to enhanced IFNg production.
The rabbit has been and continues to be a vital resource for biomedical research. This chapter focuses on the role of rabbits in toxicologic research and related biomedical studies. First, the rabbit is placed in context compared to other animal models; aspects where rabbits closely match human physiology and/or anatomy are highlighted. Basic rabbit physiological and anatomic features are discussed. This is followed by a review of the different classes of studies in which rabbits are a commonly used species (e.g., medical device, regenerative medicine, development and reproductive toxicity studies). Finally, key species-specific microscopic findings will be highlighted for the rabbit, as well as unique tissues/structures that could be misidentified.
Glomerular filtration rate is the gold-standard method for assessment of renal function but is rarely performed in routine toxicity studies. Standard serum biomarkers of renal function are insensitive and become elevated only with significant loss of organ function. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is a ubiquitous analyte that is freely filtered by the glomerulus and can be detected in serum. It has shown utility for the detection of renal injury in dogs and cats in clinical veterinary practice, but the potential utility of SDMA to detect renal injury in preclinical species or toxicity studies has not been thoroughly investigated. We utilized a well-characterized glomerular toxicant, puromycin aminonucleoside, to induce podocyte injury and subsequent proteinuria in young male Sprague-Dawley rats. At the end of 1 or 2 weeks, blood, urine, and kidney tissue were collected for analysis. One week following a single 50 mg/kg dose, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and albumin mean values were within historical control ranges, while SDMA was increased. Glomerular changes in these animals included periodic acid-Schiff positive globules within podocytes, podocyte hypertrophy by light microscopy, and podocyte degeneration with effacement of foot processes by electron microscopy (EM). Taken together, our data indicate that SDMA may be a useful biomarker for early detection of glomerular toxicities in rats.
Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) targeting CTLA4 or PD-1/PD-L1 have transformed cancer therapy but are associated with immune-related adverse events, including myocarditis. Here, we report a robust preclinical mouse model of ICI-associated myocarditis in which monoallelic loss of Ctla4 in the context of complete genetic absence of Pdcd1 leads to premature death in approximately half of mice. Premature death results from myocardial infiltration by T cells and macrophages and severe ECG abnormalities, closely recapitulating the clinical and pathologic hallmarks of ICI-associated myocarditis observed in patients. Using this model, we show that Ctla4 and Pdcd1 functionally interact in a gene dosage–dependent manner, providing a mechanism by which myocarditis arises with increased frequency in the setting of combination ICI therapy. We demonstrate that intervention with CTLA4–Ig (abatacept) is sufficient to ameliorate disease progression and additionally provide a case series of patients in which abatacept mitigates the fulminant course of ICI myocarditis. Significance: We provide a preclinical model of ICI-associated myocarditis which recapitulates this clinical syndrome. Using this model, we demonstrate that CTLA4 and PD-1 (ICI targets) functionally interact for myocarditis development and that intervention with CTLA4–Ig (abatacept) attenuates myocarditis, providing mechanistic rationale and preclinical support for therapeutic clinical studies. See related commentary by Young and Bluestone, p. 537. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 521
Osteoarthritis (OA) is treated with the intra-articular injection of steroids such as dexamethasone (DEX) to provide short-term pain management. However, DEX treatment suffers from rapid joint clearance. Here, 20 × 10 μm, shape-defined poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)acid microPlates (μPLs) are created and intra-articularly deposited for the sustained release of DEX. Under confined conditions, DEX release is projected to persist for several months, with only ∼20% released in the first month. In a highly rigorous murine knee overload injury model (post-traumatic osteoarthritis), a single intra-articular injection of Cy5-μPLs is detected in the cartilage surface, infrapatellar fat pad/synovium, joint capsule, and posterior joint space up to 30 days. One intra-articular injection of DEX-μPL (1 mg kg–1) decreased the expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 by approximately half compared to free DEX at 4 weeks post-treatment. DEX-μPL also reduced load-induced histological changes in the articular cartilage and synovial tissues relative to saline or free DEX. In sum, the μPLs provide sustained drug release along with the capability to precisely control particle geometry and mechanical properties, yielding long-lasting benefits in overload-induced OA. This work motivates further study and development of particles that provide combined pharmacological and mechanical benefits.
Hypoxia is a common feature in tumors and induces signaling that promotes tumor cell survival, invasion, and metastasis, but the impact of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) signaling in the primary tumor on dissemination to bone in particular remains unclear. To better understand the contributions of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α), HIF2α, and general HIF pathway activation in metastasis, we employ a PyMT-driven spontaneous murine mammary carcinoma model with mammary specific deletion of Hif1α, Hif2α, or von Hippel-Lindau factor (Vhl) using the Cre-lox system. Here we show that Hif1α or Hif2α deletion in the primary tumor decreases metastatic tumor burden in the bone marrow, while Vhl deletion increases bone tumor burden, as hypothesized. Unexpectedly, Hif1α deletion increases metastatic tumor burden in the lung, while deletion of Hif2α or Vhl does not affect pulmonary metastasis. Mice with Hif1α deleted tumors also exhibit reduced bone volume as measured by micro computed tomography, suggesting that disruption of the osteogenic niche may be involved in the preference for lung dissemination observed in this group. Thus, we reveal that HIF signaling in breast tumors controls tumor dissemination in a site-specific manner.
The INHAND (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria for Lesions Project (www.toxpath.org/inhand.asp) is a joint initiative of the Societies of Toxicologic Pathology from Europe (ESTP), Great Britain (BSTP), Japan (JSTP) and North America (STP) to develop an internationally accepted nomenclature for proliferative and non-proliferative lesions in laboratory animals. The purpose of this publication is to provide a standardized nomenclature for classifying microscopic lesions observed in most tissues and organs from the laboratory rabbit used in nonclinical safety studies. Some of the lesions are illustrated by color photomicrographs. The standardized nomenclature presented in this document is also available electronically on the internet (http://www.goreni.org/). Sources of material included histopathology databases from government, academia, and industrial laboratories throughout the world. Content includes spontaneous lesions as well as lesions induced by exposure to test materials. Relevant infectious and parasitic lesions are included as well. A widely accepted and utilized international harmonization of nomenclature for lesions in laboratory animals will provide a common language among regulatory and scientific research organizations in different countries and increase and enrich international exchanges of information among toxicologists and pathologists.
The progression of osteoarthritis is associated with inflammation triggered by the enzymatic degradation of extracellular matrix in injured cartilage. Here we show that a locally injected depot of nanoparticles functionalized with an antibody targeting type II collagen and carrying small interfering RNA targeting the matrix metalloproteinase 13 gene (Mmp13), which breaks down type II collagen, substantially reduced the expression of MMP13 and protected cartilage integrity and overall joint structure in acute and severe mouse models of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. MMP13 inhibition suppressed clusters of genes associated with tissue restructuring, angiogenesis, innate immune responses and proteolysis. We also show that intra-articular injections of the nanoparticles led to greater reductions in disease progression than either a single injection or weekly injections of the steroid methylprednisolone. Sustained drug retention by targeting collagen in the damaged extracellular matrix of osteoarthritic cartilage may also be an effective strategy for the treatment of osteoarthritis with other disease-modifying drugs.
Abstract As tumors outgrow their blood supply, they frequently become hypoxic, activating hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling. Previous studies suggest that HIF signaling in breast cancer cells promotes lung dissemination in genetic models and bone colonization following intracardiac inoculation, but the impact of HIF signaling in the primary tumor on spontaneous dissemination to bone has never been evaluated. Thus, we hypothesized that Hif1α or Hif2α deletion in the primary tumor would reduce spontaneous dissemination to lung and bone, while deletion of Vhl (resulting in constitutive HIF signaling) would increase dissemination to distant metastatic sites. To test this, we generated MMTV-Cre.Hif1αf/f.PyMT, MMTV-Cre.Hif2αf/f.PyMT, and MMTV-Cre.Vhlf/f.PyMT mice, which spontaneously develop mammary carcinomas with conditional deletion of Hif1a, Hif2a, or Vhl, respectively. Littermate and cousin controls were used for all experiments. All mice were euthanized when the largest tumor reached 1cm in any dimension. Tumor growth was significantly delayed in Hif1α-/- (n=21) and Vhl-/- mice (n=19), while Hif2α-/- mice (n=18) had similar tumor progression compared to wildtype controls (n=19-20). Despite the delay in tumor growth, Hif1α-/- mice had greater total tumor weight (71%, p<0.01) and Vhl-/- mice had reduced total tumor weight (31%, p<0.05) on average compared to wildtype mice, with no difference in Hif2α-/- mice. Surprisingly, histological inspection of lung sections revealed that Hif1α-/- mice had greater incidence of macroscopic tumor nodules (n=15/21 Hif1α-/-, n=6/19 Hif1αf/f, p<0.05), and greater average lesion number and area (1.9- and 2.2-fold, respectively, p<0.05), but there was no difference in Ki67 staining in the lung nodules. In contrast, bone dissemination was significantly reduced in Hif1α-/- (56%, p<0.05) and Hif2α-/- mice (43%, p<0.01) and significantly increased in Vhl-/- mice (238%, p<0.01) as assessed by flow cytometry. However, there was no change in the expression of an 89-gene panel of metastasis associated genes or markers of EMT (Cdh1/2, Egfr, Notch1, Snai1-3, Twist1, Zeb1/2) or autophagy (Atg7, Becn1, Map1lc3a/b, Sqstm1, Ulk1) in Hif1α-/- primary tumors. None of the three transgenic strains showed a difference in dissemination to liver or brain. These data indicate that while both HIF1α and HIF2α drive tumor dissemination to bone, HIF1α is also essential for preventing metastatic outgrowth in the lung. It is therefore likely that the increase in bone dissemination when mammary fat pad VHL is deleted is due to elevated HIF1α and HIF2α signaling. Taken together, these data indicate a critical, yet divergent, role of HIF signaling in dissemination to bone and lung. Thus, targeted inhibition of HIF1α or HIF2α could be beneficial in preventing bone metastasis but may promote the outgrowth of lung-disseminated breast cancer cells. Citation Format: Vera M. Todd, Lawrence A. Vecchi, Katherine P. Snow, Lauren Himmel, Marjan Rafat, Rachelle W. Johnson. HIF signaling in breast tumors controls spontaneous tumor dissemination in a site-specific manner [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2878.