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Tissue-based gene expression approaches have been developed as a companion tool of routine pathology to refine the diagnosis of cardiac rejection. Whole-transcriptome profiling was used to define molecular phenotypes of rejection but its clinical application remains limited by several hurdles. The Banff Human Organ Transplant (BHOT) panel is a consensus list of 770 genes developed to facilitate cost-effective and reproducible expression analysis of solid organ allografts. We aimed at validating in-silico the targeted panel as a proxy to whole-transcriptome analysis. To assess the BHOT panel reliability in detecting gene expression pattern associated with antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), we performed in silico analysis and projected the BHOT panel on already published microarray data of 141 heart transplant biopsies We compared the targeted and whole-transcriptome molecular profiles in AMR-biopsies (n = 71) and non-AMR matched-control (non-rejection or acute cellular rejection, n = 71) by performing differential expression, pathway, and network analyses. Out of the 30 most differentially expressed genes between AMR and non-AMR identified in whole-transcriptome analysis, two-thirds (n = 19) were included in the BHOT panel (Figure 1). These genes covered major immune pathways and key cells involved in the physiology of AMR. Overall, differential gene expression, pathway and network analyses showed that the targeted gene expression analysis was able to detect biologically and clinically relevant genes (IFNG-inducible, NK-cells, injury, monocytes-macrophage, B-cells), pathways (interleukin and interferon signaling, neutrophil degranulation, immunoregulatory interactions) and networks reflecting the pathophysiological mechanisms associated with AMR previously identified in whole-transcriptome analysis. The targeted molecular signature of AMR based on the B-HOT panel detected relevant AMR-related genes and pathways. The targeted panel can be used as a proxy to whole-transcriptome to analyze the molecular profile of heart allograft rejection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing influence and importance of internationalization in higher education, especially in medical education, inspired anatomists at Columbia University New York, USA and at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, to start a novel international preclinical collaboration project. As part of the anatomy dissection course a group of volunteer medical students from Halle dissected selected areas of the human body with the help of an English, illustrated, iPad-run dissection script (American Dissector). Meanwhile the rest of the students worked with a traditional German text-based dissector. Additionally, participating German students were matched with US students, with whom they connected via video-conferencing and discussed subjects like differences between their health care systems, structure and content of the anatomy course and the differences in their medical education systems. Questionnaires were sent for feedback and checklists confirmed dissection findings. Results indicated that the American Dissector was successfully shared internationally. The majority (62%) found it easier to find structures using the American Dissector compared to the standard dissector and also 62% needed the atlas two times less when using the American Dissector. Furthermore, students enjoyed their interaction with their international peers and the vast majority (77%) wished there were more interactions like this in the medical curriculum. This publication describes an approach to embed internationalization in the preclinical medical curriculum based in the gross anatomy course in a German Medical school, located in East Germany. Considering its history as a former German Democratic Republic faculty this is a meaningful step towardglobalization of medical education in this part of Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poster: RTT track: Motion management and adaptive strategies PO-1912: Clinical experience of using stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy on inoperable pancreatic cancer J. Duong, Y.M. Tsang, M. Harrison. [Extracted from the article]