{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Precision oncology in neurofibromatosis type 1: quantification of differential sensitivity to selumetinib in plexiform neurofibromas using single-cell RNA sequencing.
{Author}: Bhandarkar AR;Bhandarkar S;Babovic-Vuksanovic D;Raghunathan A;Schwartz J;Spinner RJ;
{Journal}: J Neurooncol
{Volume}: 169
{Issue}: 1
{Year}: 2024 Aug 13
{Factor}: 4.506
{DOI}: 10.1007/s11060-024-04711-5
{Abstract}: <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>Selumetinib is an FDA-approved targeted therapy for plexiform neurofibromas in neurofibromatosis type 1(NF1) with durable response rates seen in most, but not all patients. In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNAseq) as a technique for quantifying drug response to selumetinib at the single cell level.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>scRNAseq data from neurofibroma biopsies was obtained from a public genomics repository. Schwann cell populations were identified through standard clustering techniques and single-cell selumetinib sensitivity was quantified on a scale of 0(resistant) to 1(sensitive) based on the expression pattern of a 500 gene selumetinib sensitivity signature from the BeyondCell sensitivity library.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>A total of seven plexiform neurofibromas were included in our final analysis. The median absolute number of Schwann cells across samples was 658 cells (IQR: 1,029 cells, Q1-Q3: 135 cells to 1,163 cells). There was a statistically significant difference in selumetinib sensitivity profiles across samples (p < 0.001). The tumor with the highest median selumetinib sensitivity score had a median selumetinib sensitivity score of 0.64(IQR: 0.14, Q1-Q3: 0.59-0.70, n = 112 cells) and the tumor with the lowest median selumetinib sensitivity score had a median score of 0.37 (IQR: 0.21, Q1-Q3: 0.27-0.48, n = 1,034 cells).<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>scRNAseq of plexiform neurofibroma biopsies reveals differential susceptibilities to selumetinib on a single cell level. These findings may explain the partial responses seen in clinical trials of selumetinib for NF1 and demonstrate the value of collecting scRNAseq data for future NF1 trials.