Research Appraisals
Evidence-based critical appraisals of the latest medical research, systematically evaluated using Oxford CEBM methodology.
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Nucleic acids research
ChIP-Atlas 2025 update: 10-year anniversary of a data-mining platform for exploring epigenomic landscape
ChIP-Atlas (https://chip-atlas.org/) is a data-mining platform that systematically processes and integrates public epigenomic profiling data, including ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, DNase-seq, and Bisulfite-seq, together with curated sample metadata, currently encompassing >460 000 experiments across multiple model organisms. In this 2025 update, an experiment-level quality control framework was embedded in every experiment page, enabling intuitive assessment of data reliability and representativeness. In addition, a parametric analysis of gene set enrichment-based module was implemented, allowing enrichment analysis directly from continuous RNA-seq count tables without relying on threshold-defined, discrete gene lists, thereby helping elucidate underlying gene regulatory mechanisms. Combined with sustained data expansion, these updates advance ChIP-Atlas into a more quantitative and flexible platform for exploring the epigenomic landscape in multicellular organisms, marking its 10th anniversary.
13 July 2026
Read appraisal →Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
Camonsertib, an ATRi, in Combination with Low-Dose Gemcitabine in Solid Tumors with DNA Damage Response Aberrations: Preclinical and Phase Ib Results.
PURPOSE: The utility of combination treatment with gemcitabine and camonsertib, an ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related kinase inhibitor, in mediating tumor cell death was assessed in preclinical models, prompting clinical investigation. The phase Ib TRESR study (NCT04497116) aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of the combination in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring DNA damage repair (DDR) gene alterations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cell lines and tumor xenografts were tested across a range of dose levels and schedules. Patients (N = 76) harboring tumors with DDR gene alterations received camonsertib (80-120 mg) and de-escalating gemcitabine (1,000-100 mg/m2) in 21- or 28-day cycles on an intermittent dosing regimen. Safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy were assessed to identify an optimal dosing regimen. RESULTS: In preclinical models, low-dose camonsertib (1/3 maximum tolerated dose) and gemcitabine led to tumor regression and was well tolerated with minimal body weight loss observed. In patients, synergistic toxicities were observed, primarily myelosuppression, resulting in gemcitabine de-escalation. The introduction of a 1 week on/1 week off schedule in combination with low-dose gemcitabine allowed for spontaneous neutrophil recovery, fewer dose modifications, and improved tolerability. Tumor responses were primarily observed in patients with gynecologic cancers, with tumor control maintained for greater than 1 year in some patients. CONCLUSIONS: Camonsertib and low-dose gemcitabine demonstrated preliminary clinical activity, but due to challenging tolerability, further evaluation is warranted to identify the optimal dosing regimen and subset of patients who may benefit most from this combination.
17 Apr 2026
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