Mesothelin is currently considered the best available serum biomarker for malignant pleural mesothelioma. To examine the reported diagnostic accuracy of mesothelin and evaluate its value for early diagnosis, the authors performed a meta-analysis on the individual patient data (IPD) of 16 diagnostic studies, representing a total of 4,491 individuals, including 1,026 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.
They found a significant heterogeneity in reported diagnostic accuracies of mesothelin (see Figure for sensitivity of mesothelin in different studies). Differences in study population can explain this heterogeneity, since the type of control group, mesothelioma …

The chemoresistance of solid tumors such as mesothelioma may be better studied in vitro 3D models because multicellular spheroids acquire multicellular resistance that may recapitulate the stubborn chemoresistance seen in vivo.
Dr. Xiang et al. recently used multicellular spheroids to test the efficacy of the recombinant anti-mesothelin immunotoxin SS1P in spheroids. The authors compared 2D (monolayer) and 3D (multicellular spheroid) mesothelioma cultures of the cell line NCI-H226 and found that, regardless of equal mesothelin expression in 2D and in 3D, SS1P was at least 100 times less cytotoxic in spheroids compared …

Here is an interesting article by Dr Hassan reporting the results of a phase I clinical trial of the chimeric anti-mesothelin monoclonal antibody MORAb-009.
Mesothelin is expressed on the surface of many different cancer cells, particularly in the epithelioid type of mesothelioma.  Mesothelin provides a target for anti-mesothelin antibodies.  At least 2 treatment strategies are being tested currently, the SS1P (a recombinant immunotoxin with anti-mesothelin Fv linked to a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin) and the MORAb-009 (a high-affinity monoclonal antibody, a chimera between mouse Fv and human IgG1/k Fc).  The MORAb-009 may …