A method for preparing an upconversion-luminescence flexible hybrid membrane for visual detection of tumor markers is provided. Metal ion doped black phosphorus quantum dots (M-BPQDs) are prepared by adopting ultrasonic and solvothermal processes; mesoporous SiO.sub.2 grows on the surfaces of the M-BPQDs and amination modification is performed; the M-BPQDs are connected with carboxylated single-stranded DNA1; receptor molecules enter pores; single-stranded DNA2 aptamers and the DNA1 are combined due to base complementation to encapsulate receptors in the pores; and an M-BPQDs probe is prepared. DNA1 terminal-SH and a composite membrane are formed by assembling polymethyl methacrylate-polyimide-gold nanoparticles in a layer-by-layer manner bound by AuS bonds, and the membrane and the probe are connected to construct the flexible hybrid membrane. The new flexible hybrid membrane is simple and inexpensive to prepare and is highly sensitive.

Suppressive extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as PD-L1-bearing exosomes are produced by cancer cells and promote systemic suppression of the immune system, enabling tumors to escape immune surveillance. Inhibitors of suppressive EVs reduce the suppressive activity and/or the production of suppressive EVs, relieving systemic immunosuppression, and may be use to increase the efficacy of a co-administered immunotherapy. Additionally, engineered cancer cells that have an impaired capacity to produce PD-L1-bearing exosomes can be administered to prime the immune system against resident tumors, overcoming the systemic suppression of the immune system by cancer cells. Also, exogenously produced PD-L1-bearing exosomes may be administered to a subject for the treatment of an immune-related condition or to promote therapeutic immunosuppression.

Disclosed are molecular typing of multiple myeloma and application thereof. Specifically, disclosed is a product comprising a substance for obtaining or detecting 97 gene expressions in multiple myeloma patients to be detected and an apparatus for operating a multiple myeloma Bayesian classifier. By using the product, the present invention identifies a gene module co-expressed with the MCL1 gene, thereby distinguishing molecular subtypes of multiple myeloma having different prognoses and bortezomib sensitivities.

The present invention provides methods of diagnosing and treating cancer-induced cachexia using a zinc transporter as a biomarker and a therapeutic target. The method for diagnosing cachexia includes monitoring Zip 14-mediated zinc accumulation in the patient's muscle. The method for treating cachexia includes administering a pharmaceutical composition to reduce the Zip 14-mediated zinc accumulation in the patient's muscle.

A method and a platform for detecting an immunogenicity of a tumor neoantigen are provided. Specifically, the detection method includes the following steps: culturing human peripheral blood monocytes ex vivo for 13 days, adding an antigenic peptide fragment of human influenza virus and stimulating and activating cytokines, antigenic peptides, and immunoadjuvants during the 13 days, and finally conducting enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) chromogenic reaction and instrument-based scanning, counting, and analysis to detect the immunogenicity of tumor neoantigen. An application of the detection method and platform in biomedicine is provided. Compared with the prior art, the detection method and platform have advantages and characteristics of a short detection period, high convenience, low consumption of experimental cells, and low detection cost. Therefore, the detection method and platform can be used for ex vivo high-throughput assay for the immunogenicity of the tumor neoantigen.

This disclosure provides data showing that LEFTY inhibits differentiation-promoting pathways such as BMP7/pSMAD5 in breast cancer cell lines, over and above its known role of inhibiting Nodal/pSMAD2. LEFTY competes with BMP7 to bind to its cell surface receptor BMPR2, leading to inhibition of pSMAD5. The LEFTY-BMPR2 interaction is dominant over BMP-BMPR2 in tumorigenic cells, resulting in diminished pSMAD status, whereas in non-tumorigenic cells, there is minimal LEFTY-BMPR2 interaction, increased BMP7-BMPR2 association, and elevated pSMAD. Compositions and methods for inducing or inhibiting expression and/or the activity of LEFTY and BMP proteins are described, which can be used in diagnosis and therapy of cancer and other conditions, and to promote proliferation of stem cells.

A tumor neoantigen prediction platform and an application thereof in a neoantigen vaccine development system are provided. The present invention selects 55 HLA-A and HLA-B subtypes with a high proportion of Chinese population from a common database, then establishes a method for constructing cell lines expressing associated HLA subtypes, and subsequently analyzes the resulting HLA subtype cell line binding proteomes by protein mass spectrometry at an attomolar (10.sup.18 molar) level; through very high-precision mass spectrometry of protein profiling presented on the surface of a single cell, the present invention builds a high-frequency HLA-binding polypeptide database for Chinese population; subsequently, a tumor neoantigen prediction algorithm is optimized by a prediction platform including the HLA-binding polypeptide database, thereby significantly improving the tumor neoantigen prediction accuracy. The prediction platform in the tumor neoantigen vaccine development system can be used to help improve the efficiency of selection, research and development of vaccines.

Methods for diagnosing the presence of prostate cancer in a subject are provided, such methods including the detection of levels of a variety of biomarkers diagnostic of prostate cancer. The invention also provides methods of treating prostate cancer by administering a biomarker or an agent that modulates a biomarker of prostate cancer. Compositions in the form of kits and panels of reagents for detecting the biomarkers of the invention are also provided.

The invention provides a method for treating cancer in which a level of reduced folate carrier (RFC) or folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) in cancer cells of the biopsy is determined. If the level of RFC or FPGS in the cancer cells is below a threshold value, the cancer is treated with an inhibitor of serine-hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT)1. If the level of RFC or FPGS in the cancer cells is above the threshold value, the cancer is treated with an inhibitor of SHMT2

The present disclosure relates to compounds that are useful as near-infrared fluorescence probes, wherein the compounds include i) a ligand that binds to the active site of carbonic anhydrase, ii) a dye molecule, and iii) a linker molecule that comprises an amino acid, amide, ureido, or polyethylene glycol derivative thereof. The disclosure further describes methods and compositions for making and using the compounds, methods incorporating the compounds, and kits incorporating the compounds.