Wei J

The University of Sydney

3
Publications
10
h-index
(262 citations, 41 total works)

Research Topics

Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment (9)Immunotherapy and Immune Responses (8)Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers (7)Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations (7)Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life (4)

Alpha-gal Syndrome Publications

Cross-ancestry meta-analysis identifies a GSTP1 variant in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolism-related pathway contributing to colorectal cancer susceptibility.

Wang W, Li H, Gao L, Liu B, Chen S, et al.
Archives of toxicology •

Unhealthy diets (e.g., higher red meat consumption) and tobacco exposure are major risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC), contributing the toxic substances exposure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, the genetic regulation of PAHs metabolism-related genes involved in CRC susceptibility remains unexplored. To address this gap, we performed a meta-analysis using cross-ancestry genome-wide data, including East Asian populations (Chinese: N = 1150, N = 1342; Japanese: N = 6692, N = 27,178) and European (N = 78,473, N = 107,143) to evaluate the genetic association of 47 PAHs-metabolism-related genes with CRC risk. Expression patterns were derived from Nanjing ColoRectal Cancer cohort (NJCRC) and public datasets, including a total of 828 bulk RNA-Seq samples, 62 samples for cell-type-specific expression samples, and 50 paired protein validation samples. Finally, we observed that rs7927381 C > T in GSTP1 was associated with reduced CRC risk (odds ratio (OR) = 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92-0.96, P = 1.90 × 10). Intriguingly, it downregulated the GSTP1 expression specifically in plasmablast cells. This effect may be attributed to its location in the DNA-hypersensitive regulatory region with enhancer and promoter activity, which could alter transcription factor binding. Notably, both GSTP1 mRNA and protein level were upregulated in CRC tissues, suggesting its elevation may influence PAHs metabolism through the oxidative phosphorylation and ribosome biological processes, promoting carcinogenesis. In conclusion, we identified GSTP1 rs7927381 as a cross-ancestry genetic variant affecting CRC risk through influencing PAHs metabolizing, offering new insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying CRC.

A protocol for pre-treatment testing for antibodies to galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose to mitigate the risk of cetuximab hypersensitivity reactions - a retrospective cohort review.

Della Marta N, Yuile A, Mok C, Wei J, Oatley M, et al.
Cancer treatment and research communications •

Cetuximab improves survival in KRAS wildtype metastatic colorectal cancer. However, high rates of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) limit its use, with HSR rates up to 10-20 %. A major driver of cetuximab HSR is from pre-formed IgE antibody response to galactose-1,3-alpha-galactose (alpha-gal). Evidence from retrospective studies supports alpha-gal pre-screening in this setting. This study reports the impact of prospective alpha-gal antibody screening on cetuximab HSR. Records were reviewed across three medical oncology centres that have adopted alpha-gal antibody screening measures. Data for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab were retrieved. All centres assessed alpha-gal levels using the ImmunoCAP® immunoassay. Due to variability in alpha-gal screening practices across study sites, a standardised protocol was applied to all cases. This protocol allowed cetuximab administration if alpha-gal levels were ≤0.10 kUA/L, but prohibited it if alpha-gal levels were >0.10 kUA/L in favour of panitumumab administration. Patients were allocated to either the Alpha-gal Pre-screening Applied ('Pre-screening') or Alpha-gal Pre-screening Not Applied ('Reference') cohorts based on protocol requirements being met. The primary outcome between these patient groups was the incidence of cetuximab HSRs. Of 254 assessable patients, 39 underwent the pre-treatment screening protocol. Of the Pre-screening group, 3% (n=1/39) experienced a cetuximab HSR compared to 16% (n=35/215) in the Reference group (Odds ratio (OR) 0.14; 95% CI 0.0033-0.86, p= 0.02). Patients with alpha-gal antibody titres >0.10 kUA/L were more likely to experience a cetuximab HSR (OR 69.71; 95% CI 5.18-4296.81, p=0.0001). Pre-treatment screening for alpha-gal antibodies significantly reduces the incidence of cetuximab HSRs. A testing threshold of 0.10 kUA/L is effective in identifying patients at risk. Implementing this protocol can improve the safety of cetuximab therapy in high-risk populations. Hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) limit cetuximab use in KRAS wildtype advanced colorectal cancer, with a significant driver being pre-formed IgE antibodies against galactose-1,3-alpha-galactose (alpha-gal). Our multicentric retrospective study assessed the impact of prospective alpha-gal antibody screening on HSR incidence following cetuximab administration. Of 254 assessable patients, pre-treatment alpha-gal antibody screening significantly reduced the incidence of cetuximab HSRs (3% vs 16%; OR 0.14, p=0.02). Our findings support pre-treatment alpha-gal screening to improve safety of cetuximab therapy in high-risk populations.

Administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide improves oocyte quality of obese mice.

Wang L, Chen Y, Wei J, Guo F, Li L, et al.
Cell proliferation •

Obesity has become a common health concern around the world. Maternal obesity could cause poor reproductive outcomes due to chronic ovarian inflammation and decreased oocyte quality. However, the strategies to improve the poor reproductive outcomes of obese females have not been fully studied. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) on oocyte quality and reproductive performance of obese mice. The obese mouse model was established by feeding high-fat diet which was confirmed by body weight record, fasting blood glucose test and oral glucose tolerance test. The expression of ovary development related genes and inflammation related genes, including Lhx8, Bmp4, Adgre1, Ccl2, TNF-α, Gal-3, Clec10a and IL-10 in ovaries and the expression of Bax and Sod1 in oocytes were detected using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). The adipose size of abdominal fat tissue was determined with haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to measure the ROS level, spindle/chromosome structure, mitochondrial function, actin dynamics and DNA damage of oocytes. The administration of NMN restored ovarian weight and reduced the adipose size of abdominal fat tissue and ovarian inflammation in high fat diet (HFD) mice. Furthermore, NMN treatment improved the oocytes quality partially by restoring the mitochondrial function and actin dynamics, reducing meiotic defects, DNA damage and ROS level and lipid droplet distribution of oocytes in HFD mice. On the long-term effect, NMN restored offspring body weight of HFD mice. NMN could improve the oocyte quality of HFD-induced obese mice.