Ocular Melanoma

This pilot study reports on cfDNA methylation signatures that differentiates UM patients from HBDs, and may distinguish between intermediate and high risk UM subgroups, supporting its prognostic potential. However, its role in monitoring disease progression requires further validation. Independent replication studies are warranted to confirm our findings and evaluate the clinical applicability in UM.

Endocytic/signaling proteins exhibit distinct, subtype-linked expression in ocular tumors. Integration with public datasets highlights CAV1 and GIPC1 as adverse survival correlates in UM and positions LRP2/CUBN/DAB2IP dysregulation as features of ocular tumor biology, nominating candidate biomarkers and mechanistic targets.

Given its crucial role in mediating DNA damage responses, we analyzed the p53 protein functionality and downstream target activation in a panel of UM cell lines in response to standard-of-care treatments (i.e., cisplatin and proton-beam irradiation)...Our results indicated a correlation between higher expression levels of Δ40p53α or Δ133p53γ isoforms and the development of more aggressive cancers. Our findings suggest that shorter p53 isoforms can promote cancer aggressiveness and therapy resistance, thereby providing crucial insights into UM pathogenesis.

P=N/A, N=22, Active, not recruiting, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice | Completed --> Active, not recruiting | Trial completion date: Jan 2024 --> Jan 2026

MCM6 acts as a critical regulator of retinoblastoma growth and modulates response to melphalan. Targeting MCM6 may offer a therapeutic approach to improve outcomes of chemotherapy in retinoblastoma.

It also underscores the importance of multidisciplinary management, timely intervention, and vigilant surveillance in cases with high-risk features. This case contributes to the limited literature on choroidal melanoma with perineural invasion, a rare finding with important prognostic implications.

Our study identifies SCD1-mediated lipid remodeling as a key driver of enhanced membrane fluidity and metastatic potential in CM. Inhibition of SCD1 increases lipid saturation, reduces membrane fluidity, induces oxidative stress, and suppresses liver and lung metastasis. The MAFG-METTL14-SCD1 axis thus represents a critical regulator of CM progression, and combined therapeutic targeting with aramchol and S-HFD offers promising translational potential.

P1/2, N=36, Recruiting, Novelwise Pharmaceutical Corporation | Not yet recruiting --> Recruiting | Trial completion date: May 2029 --> Aug 2029

The highest percentage of variants in RB corresponded to nonsense substitutions and indels, mainly affecting the Pocket domain, which is the major functional site for the pRb regulatory process. These results indicate the predominance of the most pathogenic variants related to the bilateral presentation of retinoblastoma.

Mild retinal disorganization across multiple imaging modalities expands the ocular phenotype of BHD and likely arises from defects in cellular adhesion mediated by FLCN. Larger cohorts of patients with BHD may be necessary to establish these ocular imaging abnormalities as part of the BHD phenotypic spectrum.

P3, N=100, Recruiting, Aura Biosciences | Trial completion date: Mar 2027 --> Aug 2028 | Trial primary completion date: Mar 2026 --> Nov 2027