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Background Evidence from cancer clinical trials has strong internal validity but can be difficult to generalize to real-world patient populations. Here we analyzed real-world outcomes of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in the first year following U.S. regulatory approval. Materials and methods This retrospective study leveraged electronic health record (EHR) data collected during routine patient care in community cancer care clinics. The cohort included patients with mNSCLC who had received nivolumab or pembrolizumab for metastatic disease (n = 1,344) with >1 EHR-documented visit from January 1, 2011, to March 31, 2016. Patients with a > 90-day gap between advanced disease diagnosis and first EHR structured data entry were excluded. Results Estimated median overall survival (OS) was 8.0 months (95% confidence interval 7.4-9.0 months). Estimated median OS was 4.7 months (3.4-6.6) for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement- and epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-positive tumors, and 8.6 months (7.7-10.6) for patients without such mutations. Age at PD-1 inhibitor initiation or line of therapy did not impact OS. Conclusion This analysis suggests OS in real-world patients may be shorter than in conventional clinical trial patient cohorts, potentially due to narrow trial eligibility criteria. The lack of difference in OS by line of therapy or age at immunotherapy initiation suggests sustained benefit of PD-1 inhibitors in multitreated patients with mNSCLC and that age is not a predictor of outcome. Further studies are underway in patients with comorbidities, organ dysfunction, and multiple prior therapies. Implications for practice This study evaluated data derived from electronic health records of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in the year following regulatory approval. This real-world cohort had shorter overall survival (OS) indexed to PD-1 inhibitor initiation than reported in clinical trials. Late-line treatment did not influence OS, and patients aged >75 at immunotherapy initiation did not have worse outcomes than younger patients. As new therapies enter clinical practice, real-world data can complement clinical trial evidence providing information on generalizability and helping inform clinical treatment decisions.

Background Despite the rapid adoption of immunotherapies in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (advNSCLC), knowledge gaps remain about their real‐world (rw) performance. Methods This retrospective, observational, multicenter analysis used the Flatiron Health deidentified electronic health record‐derived database of rw patients with advNSCLC who received treatment with PD‐1 and/or PD‐L1 (PD‐[L]1) inhibitors before July 1, 2017 (N = 5257) and had ≥6 months of follow‐up. The authors investigated PD‐(L)1 line of treatment and PD‐L1 testing rates and the relationship between overall survival (OS) and rw intermediate endpoints: progression‐free survival (rwPFS), rw time to progression (rwTTP), rw time to next treatment (rwTTNT), and rw time to discontinuation (rwTTD). Results First‐line PD‐(L)1 inhibitor use increased from 0% (in the third quarter of 2014 [Q3 2014]) to 42% (Q2 2017) over the study period. PD‐L1 testing also increased (from 3% in Q3 2015 to 70% in Q2 2017). The estimated median OS was 9.3 months (95% CI, 8.9‐9.8 months), and the estimated rwPFS was 3.2 months (95% CI, 3.1‐3.3 months). Longer OS and rwPFS were associated with ≥50% PD‐L1 percentage staining results. Correlations (⍴) between OS and intermediate endpoints were ⍴ = 0.75 (95% CI, 0.73‐0.76) for rwPFS and ⍴ = 0.60 (95% CI, 0.57‐0.63) for rwTTP, and, for treatment‐based intermediate endpoints, correlations were ⍴ = 0.60 (95% CI, 0.56‐0.64) for rwTTNT (N = 856) and ⍴ = 0.81 (95% CI, 0.80‐0.82) for rwTTD. Conclusions The use of first‐line PD‐(L)1 inhibitors and PD‐L1 testing has substantially increased, with better outcomes for patients who have ≥50% PD‐L1 percentage staining. Intermediate rw tumor‐dynamics estimates were moderately correlated with OS in patients with advNSCLC who received immunotherapy, highlighting the need for optimizing and standardizing rw endpoints to enhance the understanding of patient outcomes outside clinical trials., Immunotherapy adoption in non–small cell lung cancer has been rapid. The evaluation of progression endpoints in large cohorts of real‐world patients is feasible and can assess real‐world immunotherapy performance.

Two independent groups develop tension probes based on molecular beacons to measure mechanical stimuli in live cells.

Two structure-driven studies of the culprits behind diseases associated with amyloid fibers give clues to stopping these agents in their tracks.

Bacteriophage N4 mini-virion RNA polymerase (mini-vRNAP), the 1106-amino acid transcriptionally active domain of vRNAP, recognizes single-stranded DNA template-containing promoters composed of conserved sequences and a 3-base loop–5-base pair stem hairpin structure. The major promoter recognition determinants are a purine located at the center of the hairpin loop (–11G) and a base at the hairpin stem (–8G). Mini-vRNAP is an evolutionarily highly diverged member of the T7 family of RNAPs. A two-plasmid system was developed to measure the in vivo activity of mutant mini-vRNAP enzymes. Five mini-vRNAP derivatives, each containing a pair of cysteine residues separated by ∼100 amino acids and single cysteine-containing enzymes, were generated. These reagents were used to determine the smallest catalytically active polypeptide and to map promoter, substrate, and RNA-DNA hybrid contact sites to single amino acid residues in the enzyme by using end-labeled 5-iododeoxyuridine- and azidophenacyl-substituted oligonucleotides, cross-linkable derivatives of the initiating nucleotide, and RNA products with 5-iodouridine incorporated at specific positions. Localization of functionally important amino acid residues in the recently determined crystal structures of apomini-vRNAP and the mini-vRNAP-promoter complex and comparison with the crystal structures of the T7 RNAP initiation and elongation complexes allowed us to predict major rearrangements in mini-vRNAP in the transition from transcription initiation to elongation similar to those observed in T7 RNAP, a task otherwise precluded by the lack of sequence homology between N4 mini-vRNAP and T7 RNAP.

Bacteriophage N4 encapsidates a 3,500 amino acid-long DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (vRNAP), which is injected into the host along with the N4 genome upon infection. The three-dimensional structures of wild-type and mutant N4 viruses lacking gp17, gp50, or gp65 were determined by cryo-electron microscopy. The virion has an icosahedral capsid with T = 9 quasi-symmetry that encapsidates well-organized dsDNA and vRNAP. The tail, attached at a unique pentameric vertex of the head, consists of a neck, twelve appendages, and six ribbons that constitute a non-contractile sheath around a central tail tube. Comparison of wild-type and mutant virus structures in conjunction with bioinformatics established the identity and virion locations of the major capsid protein (gp56), a decorating protein (gp17), the vRNAP (gp50), the tail sheath (gp65), the appendages (gp66), and the portal protein (gp59). The N4 virion organization provides insights into its assembly, and suggests a mechanism for genome and vRNAP transport strategies utilized by this unique system.

The combination of two imaging methods, each with its own limitations, brings researchers closer to the goal of describing the complexity of membrane organization with high spatial resolution and a high degree of chemical information.

An uncharged CoA precursor that can enter the cell is used for covalent, site-specific labeling of proteins inside living cells.

With the goal of using the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila for biotechnology applications—as a heterologous protein expression system—researchers have identified a copper-inducible and repressible promoter.

A combination of techniques reveals that aggregate forces from all enzymes active in the cytoplasm result in randomly fluctuating forces throughout the cell.

Applying technology developed for next-generation DNA sequencing to study translation, researchers watch individual ribosomes string together amino acids in real time.

By fusing a light-sensitive domain of an oat plant protein to Rac1, researchers created a genetically encoded protein fusion that can be reversibly activated with blue light and control cell movement—an attractive alternative to current caging tools.

By analyzing the data generated by the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG), researchers quantified the physical properties that control protein crystallization.

Using chemically assembled ubiquitylated histone H2B, researchers demonstrate that direct cross-talk results in methylation of a lysine on another histone.

Capitalizing on the imperfection of error-prone DNA repair, researchers generated knockout mammalian cell lines by targeting a nuclease to a gene of interest via a zinc-finger DNA-binding domain.

Using a directed evolution approach, researchers demonstrate a way of creating 'designer' receptors that are specifically activated by a ligand with no other biological activity in the cell.

Researchers studied dynamics of the 20S proteasome core particle by combining an optimized labeling strategy with experiments designed to maximize nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals.

A DNA walker–based system enables ordered, multistep synthesis of a peptide in a single solution.

To site-specifically label proteins in living cells, researchers mutate an enzyme to recognize a small fluorophore and catalyze its attachment to a small peptide tag.

Addition of next-generation sequencing to an assay of replication timing enables high-resolution genome-scale analyses of multiple cell types.

Modification of a system for rapid amplification of misfolded prion proteins allows de novo generation of these infectious molecules and provides a glimpse of the diverse range of possible misfolded prion strains.

With the addition of a ligand-sensing aptamer sequence, a self-replicating RNA enzyme system enables general molecular detection, analogous to that of quantitative PCR.

A high-resolution interactome map that describes how proteins interact in living yeast cells is an invaluable reference for the research community.

Synthetic peptides that can enter the cell and localize to mitochondria are promising tools for delivering cargo to the organelle.

Nanoscopic DNA chips assembled using the DNA origami method enable target detection in solution and hold promise for single-cell gene expression analysis.

The structure of the PP7 bacteriophage coat protein revealed a mode of RNA binding that is distinct from that of the well-characterized MS2 coat protein, suggesting new orthogonal systems for RNA labeling and purification.