Biology subjects

Carbone, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Carbone, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Automated Monitoring of Insects system: Building a non-lethal and scalable solution for monitoring of nocturnal insects

There is growing evidence that human-induced climate change and habitat loss are having negative impacts on insect populations. New technologies have a vital role in improving and expanding global biodiversity monitoring capacity to understand where change is happening and to support restoration. Monitoring of insects traditionally needs entomologists in the field, but insect camera traps powered by AI are emerging as a scalable approach to monitoring semi-autonomously. These systems attract, detect, and identify insects using AI algorithms and are being developed by a network of researchers across the world, notably in Europe and North America. The first version of a system for monitoring nocturnal insects was developed by Bjerge et al. 2021. An Automated Light Trap to Monitor Moths (Lepidoptera) Using Computer Vision-Based Tracking and Deep Learning. Here we describe the second generation of the system as an open-source solution. This paper aims to enable anyone to build their own system, and to iterate and improve the design for their needs. This system captures images at set intervals or based on motion detection to monitor insects that are attracted to lights at night. The UKCEH Automated Monitoring of Insects System (UKCEH AMI-system) is an insect camera trap designed using a single board computer, USB camera and attractant lights as the primary components along with peripheral accessories to make an autonomous system capable of long-term deployment in the field. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=126 SRC="FIGDIR/small/704388v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17ccdc4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@a92179org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d4aaf8org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1248d07_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Candida albicans infiltrates colon and rectal cancers causing therapeutic resistance and decreased survival

The microbiome is increasingly recognized as a modifier of cancer progression and therapy response, yet the role of intratumoral fungi remains poorly defined. Here, we identify Candida albicans colonization within human colorectal tumors as a predictor of reduced survival and impaired radiation response. Leveraging the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) cohort, we show that high intratumoral Candida burden is associated with decreased survival across multiple gastrointestinal cancers, with the strongest treatment-specific effect in rectal cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. This observation was validated in independent rectal cancer cohorts using RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR. In immune-competent murine colorectal cancer models, oral gavage of C. albicans resulted in intratumoral colonization, accelerated tumor growth, and radiation resistance, effects not observed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or PBS controls. Colonized tumors exhibited increased hypoxia, altered metabolic and transcriptional programs, and distinct expression of genes linked to cytokine signaling and cell survival. Hypoxia conditioned C. albicans secreted metabolites that directly conferred radiation resistance to colorectal cancer cells in vitro, implicating a cancer cell intrinsic mechanism independent of immune signaling. Untargeted metabolomics revealed enrichment of nucleosides and lipid oxidation intermediates under hypoxia, suggesting that C. albicans metabolites may provide substrates facilitating tumor recovery after irradiation. These findings establish C. albicans as a causal modifier of tumor biology and radiation response, highlighting intratumoral fungi as future potential therapeutic targets. Modulating fungal colonization or metabolism may improve radiotherapy outcomes and broaden our understanding of interactions between microbes and tumors.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Exploring the therapeutic potential of a novel series of imidazothiadiazoles targeting focal adhesion kinase (FAK) for pancreatic cancer treatment: Synthesis, mechanistic Insights and promising antitumor and safety profile

Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase that plays a crucial role in various oncogenic processes related to cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and survival. The strategic targeting of FAK represents a burgeoning approach to address resistant tumors, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Herein, we report a new series of twenty imidazo[2,1-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole derivatives assayed for their antiproliferative activity against the National Cancer Institute (NCI-60) panel and a wide panel of PDAC models. Lead compound 10l exhibited effective antiproliferative activity against immortalized (SUIT-2, CAPAN-1, PANC-1, PATU-T, BxPC-3), primary (PDAC-3) and gemcitabine-resistant clone (PANC-1-GR) PDAC cells, eliciting IC50 values in the low micromolar range (1.04-3.44 {micro}M), associated with a significant reduction in cell-migration and spheroid shrinkage in vitro. High-throughput kinase arrays revealed a significant inhibition of the FAK signalling network, associated to induction of cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, suppression of tumor cell invasion and apoptosis induction. The low selectivity index/toxicity prompted studies using PDAC mouse xenografts, demonstrating significant inhibition of tumor growth and safety. In conclusion, compound 10l displayed antitumor activity and safety in both in vitro and in vivo models, emerging as a highly promising lead for the development of FAK inhibitors in PDAC.

cancer biology↗