Download or read book Cellular and Phenotypic Plasticity in Cancer written by Petranel Theresa Ferrao and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2015-09-17 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The process of Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT) is known to result in a phenotype change in cells from a proliferative state to a more invasive state. EMT has been reported to drive the metastatic spread of various cancers and has also been associated with drug resistance to cytotoxics and targeted therapeutics. Recently phenotype switching akin to EMT has been reported in non-epithelial cancers such as metastatic melanoma. This process involves changes in EMT-Transcription Factors (EMT-TFs), suggesting that phenotype-switching may be common to several tumour types. It remains unclear as to whether the presence of both Epilthelial-like and Mesenchymal-like cells are a pre-requisite for phenotype switching within a tumour, how this heterogeneity is regulated, and if alteration of cell phenotype is sufficient to mediate migratory changes, or whether drivers of cell migration result in an associated phenotype switch in cancer cells. Similarly it has yet to be clarified if cells in an altered phenotype can be refractory to drug therapy or whether mediators of drug resistance induce a concurrent phenotypic change. Little is known today about the underlying genetic, epigenetic and transient changes that accompany this phenotypic switch and about the role for the tumor micro-environment in influencing it. Hence this is currently an area of speculation and keen interest in the Oncology field with wide-ranging translational implications. In this Frontiers Research Topic, we discuss our current understanding of these concepts in various cancer types including breast cancer, colorectal cancer and metastatic melanoma. This topic covers how these processes of cellular and phenotypic plasticity are regulated and how they relate to cancer initiation, progression, dormancy, metastases and response to cytotoxics or targeted therapies.
Download or read book Epithelial Mesenchymal Plasticity in Cancer Metastasis written by Mohit Kumar Jolly and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2020-12-29 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent studies have highlighted that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is not only about cell migration and invasion, but it can also govern many other important elements such as immunosuppression, metabolic reprogramming, senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), stem cell properties, therapy resistance, and tumor microenvironment interactions. With the on-going debate about the requirement of EMT for cancer metastasis, an emerging focus on intermediate states of EMT and its reverse process mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) offer new ideas for metastatic requirements and the dynamics of EMT/MET during the entire metastatic cascade. Therefore, we would like to initiate discussions on viewing EMT and its downstream signaling networks as a fulcrum of cellular plasticity, and a facilitator of the adaptive responses of cancer cells to distant organ microenvironments and various therapeutic assaults. We hereby invite scientists who have prominently contributed to this field, and whose valuable insights have led to the appreciation of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity as a more comprehensive mediator of the adaptive response of cancer cells, with huge implications in metastasis, drug resistance, tumor relapse, and patient survival.
Download or read book The Heterogeneity of Cancer Metabolism written by Anne Le and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-06-26 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Genetic alterations in cancer, in addition to being the fundamental drivers of tumorigenesis, can give rise to a variety of metabolic adaptations that allow cancer cells to survive and proliferate in diverse tumor microenvironments. This metabolic flexibility is different from normal cellular metabolic processes and leads to heterogeneity in cancer metabolism within the same cancer type or even within the same tumor. In this book, we delve into the complexity and diversity of cancer metabolism, and highlight how understanding the heterogeneity of cancer metabolism is fundamental to the development of effective metabolism-based therapeutic strategies. Deciphering how cancer cells utilize various nutrient resources will enable clinicians and researchers to pair specific chemotherapeutic agents with patients who are most likely to respond with positive outcomes, allowing for more cost-effective and personalized cancer therapeutic strategies.
Download or read book Philosophy of Cancer written by Marta Bertolaso and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-08-24 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the 1970s, the origin of cancer is being explored from the point of view of the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT), focusing on genetic mutations and clonal expansion of somatic cells. As cancer research expanded in several directions, the dominant focus on cells remained steady, but the classes of genes and the kinds of extra-genetic factors that were shown to have causal relevance in the onset of cancer multiplied. The wild heterogeneity of cancer-related mutations and phenotypes, along with the increasing complication of models, led to an oscillation between the hectic search of ‘the’ few key factors that cause cancer and the discouragement in face of a seeming ‘endless complexity’. To tame this complexity, cancer research started to avail itself of the tools that were being developed by Systems Biology. At the same time, anti-reductionist voices began claiming that cancer research was stuck in a sterile research paradigm. This alternative discourse even gave birth to an alternative theory: the Tissue Organization Field Theory (TOFT). A deeper philosophical analysis shows limits and possibilities of reductionist and anti-reductionist positions and of their polarization. This book demonstrates that a radical philosophical reflection is necessary to drive cancer research out of its impasses. At the very least, this will be a reflection on the assumptions of different kinds of cancer research, on the implications of what cancer research has been discovering over 40 years and more, on a view of scientific practice that is most able to make sense of the cognitive and social conflicts that are seen in the scientific community (and in its results), and, finally, on the nature of living entities with which we entertain this fascinating epistemological dance that we call scientific research. The proposed Dynamic and Relational View of carcinogenesis is a starting point in all these directions.
Download or read book The Cancer Stem Cell Niche written by Susie Nilsson and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cancer Stem Cell Niche, Volume Five in the Advances in Stem Cells and their Niches series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on a variety of timely topics, including Acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the bone marrow microenvironment, Stem cell niches in bone and their roles in cancer metastasis, The role of vasculature in cancer stem cell niches, The lung cancer stem cell niche, The prostate cancer stem cell niche: Genetic drivers and therapeutic approaches, Impact of prostate cancer stem cell niches on prostate cancer tumorigenesis and progression, The testicular cancer stem cell niche. Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in the Advances in Stem Cells and their Niches series Includes the latest information on the Cancer Stem Cell Niche
Download or read book Phenotypic Switching written by Herbert Levine and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-06-10 with total page 773 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Phenotypic Switching: Implications in Biology and Medicine provides a comprehensive examination of phenotypic switching across biological systems, including underlying mechanisms, evolutionary significance, and its role in biomedical science. Contributions from international leaders discuss conceptual and theoretical aspects of phenotypic plasticity, its influence over biological development, differentiation, biodiversity, and potential applications in cancer therapy, regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy, among other treatments. Chapters discuss fundamental mechanisms of phenotypic switching, including transition states, cell fate decisions, epigenetic factors, stochasticity, protein-based inheritance, specific areas of human development and disease relevance, phenotypic plasticity in melanoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, non-genetic heterogeneity in cancer, hepatitis C, and more. This book is essential for active researchers, basic and translational scientists, clinicians, postgraduates and students in genetics, human genomics, pathology, bioinformatics, developmental biology, evolutionary biology and adaptive opportunities in yeast. - Thoroughly addresses the conceptual, experimental and translational aspects that underlie phenotypic plasticity - Emphasizes quantitative approaches, nonlinear dynamics, mechanistic insights and key methodologies to advance phenotypic plasticity studies - Features a diverse range of chapter contributions from international leaders in the field
Download or read book Successes and Challenges of NK Immunotherapy written by Benjamin Bonavida and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2021-06-23 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successes and Challenges of NK Immunotherapy: Increasing Anti-tumor Efficacy describes the unique therapeutic applications of NK cells to fight cancers and eliminate the bulk and subset of cancer stem cells responsible for metastasis, relapse and recurrences. The book provides information on the development, engineering, mechanisms of action, response to various preclinical models, and applications in various clinical trials. Sections cover the development of highly engineered cytotoxic NK cells, their mechanisms of action, preclinical and clinical applications, the development and application of CAR-NK cells, and new NK-drug conjugates, also emphasizing that activated NK cells can target and kill highly resistant cancer stem cells. Written by the leading experts on NK immunotherapy worldwide, this is a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians and members of the biomedical field who are interested in understanding novel and efficient therapies to fight cancers. - Discusses the unique developmental applications of NK immunotherapy against cancers, which differs greatly from other types of immunotherapies - Provides up-to-date and highly relevant information through chapters written by the leading researchers in the field - Presents a significant number of schematic diagrams for easy understanding and reproducibility
Download or read book Biological Mechanisms and the Advancing Approaches to Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance written by Andrew Freywald and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-12-02 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biological Mechanisms and the Advancing Approaches to Overcoming Cancer Drug Resistance, Volume 12, discusses new approaches that are being undertaken to counteract tumor plasticity, understand and tackle the interactions with the microenvironment, and disrupt the rewiring of malignant cells or bypass biological mechanism of resistance by using targeted radionuclide therapies. This book provides a unique opportunity to the reader to understand the fundamental causes of drug resistance and how different approaches are applied. It is a one-stop-shop to understand why it is so difficult to treat cancer, and why only a very few patients respond to therapy and a significant portion develop resistance. Despite a rapid development of more effective anti-cancer drugs and combination therapies, cancer remains the leading cause of lethality in the developed world. The main reason for this is the ability of heterogeneous subpopulations of tumor cells interacting with constantly evolving tumor microenvironment to resist elimination and eventually, trigger cancer relapse. In this book, experts review current concepts explaining molecular and biological mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and discussing advancing approaches for overcoming these therapeutic challenges. Provides the most updated knowledge on the mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and the emerging therapeutic approaches reviewed by experts in the field Brings detailed analyses of most important recently reported developments related to drug resistance and their relevance to overcoming it in cancer patients Discusses in-depth molecular mechanisms and novel concepts of cancer resistance to conventional and advanced therapies
Download or read book Chromatin Regulation and Dynamics written by Anita Göndör and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chromatin Regulation and Dynamics integrates knowledge on the dynamic regulation of primary chromatin fiber with the 3D nuclear architecture, then connects related processes to circadian regulation of cellular metabolic states, representing a paradigm of adaptation to environmental changes. The final chapters discuss the many ways chromatin dynamics can synergize to fundamentally contribute to the development of complex diseases. Chromatin dynamics, which is strategically positioned at the gene-environment interface, is at the core of disease development. As such, Chromatin Regulation and Dynamics, part of the Translational Epigenetics series, facilitates the flow of information between research areas such as chromatin regulation, developmental biology, and epidemiology by focusing on recent findings of the fast-moving field of chromatin regulation. - Presents and discusses novel principles of chromatin regulation and dynamics with a cross-disciplinary perspective - Promotes crosstalk between basic sciences and their applications in medicine - Provides a framework for future studies on complex diseases by integrating various aspects of chromatin biology with cellular metabolic states, with an emphasis on the dynamic nature of chromatin and stochastic principles - Integrates knowledge on the dynamic regulation of primary chromatin fiber with 3D nuclear architecture, then connects related processes to circadian regulation of cellular metabolic states, representing a paradigm of adaptation to environmental changes
Download or read book The Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition EMT in Cancer written by Joëlle Roche and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2018-04-09 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Cancer" that was published in Cancers
Download or read book Chromatin Signaling and Diseases written by Olivier Binda and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-08-06 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chromatin Signaling and Diseases covers the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression, which govern everything from embryonic development, growth, and human pathologies associated with aging, such as cancer. This book helps researchers learn about or keep up with the quickly expanding field of chromatin signaling. After reading this book, clinicians will be more capable of explaining the mechanisms of gene expression regulation to their patients to reassure them about new drug developments that target chromatin signaling mechanisms. For example, several epigenetic drugs that act on chromatin signaling factors are in clinical trials or even approved for usage in cancer treatments, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases. Other epigenetic drugs are in development to regulate various class of chromatin signaling factors. To keep up with this changing landscape, clinicians and doctors will need to stay familiar with genetic advances that translate to clinical practice, such as chromatin signaling. Although sequencing of the human genome was completed over a decade ago and its structure investigated for nearly half a century, molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression remain largely misunderstood. An emerging concept called chromatin signaling proposes that small protein domains recognize chemical modifications on the genome scaffolding histone proteins, facilitating the nucleation of enzymatic complexes at specific loci that then open up or shut down the access to genetic information, thereby regulating gene expression. The addition and removal of chemical modifications on histones, as well as the proteins that specifically recognize these, is reviewed in Chromatin Signaling and Diseases. Finally, the impact of gene expression defects associated with malfunctioning chromatin signaling is also explored. - Explains molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression, which governs everything from embryonic development, growth, and human pathologies associated with aging - Educates clinicians and researchers about chromatin signaling, a molecular mechanism that is changing our understanding of human pathology - Explores the addition and removal of chemical modifications on histones, the proteins that specifically recognize these, and the impact of gene expression defects associated with malfunctioning chromatin signaling - Helps researchers learn about the quickly expanding field of chromatin signaling
Download or read book The Physics of Cancer written by Caterina A. M. La Porta and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-04-20 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of theoretical and experimental contributions to cancer research from different fields of physics, from biomechanics and soft-condensed matter physics to the statistical mechanics of complex systems. Reviewing these contributions and providing a sophisticated overview of the topic, this is the first book devoted to the emerging interdisciplinary field of cancer physics. Systematically integrating approaches from physics and biology, it includes topics such as cancer initiation and progression, metastasis, angiogenesis, cancer stem cells, tumor immunology, cancer cell mechanics and migration. Biological hallmarks of cancer are presented in an intuitive yet comprehensive way, providing graduate-level students and researchers in physics with a thorough introduction to this important subject. The impact of the physical mechanisms of cancer are explained through analytical and computational models, making this an essential reference for cancer biologists interested in cutting-edge quantitative tools and approaches coming from physics.
Download or read book Comparative Oncology written by Alecsandru Ioan Baba and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 787 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ecology and Evolution of Cancer written by Beata Ujvari and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-02-08 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ecology and Evolution of Cancer is a timely work outlining ideas that not only represent a substantial and original contribution to the fields of evolution, ecology, and cancer, but also goes beyond by connecting the interfaces of these disciplines. This work engages the expertise of a multidisciplinary research team to collate and review the latest knowledge and developments in this exciting research field. The evolutionary perspective of cancer has gained significant international recognition and interest, which is fully understandable given that somatic cellular selection and evolution are elegant explanations for carcinogenesis. Cancer is now generally accepted to be an evolutionary and ecological process with complex interactions between tumor cells and their environment sharing many similarities with organismal evolution. As a critical contribution to this field of research the book is important and relevant for the applications of evolutionary biology to understand the origin of cancers, to control neoplastic progression, and to prevent therapeutic failures. - Covers all aspects of the evolution of cancer, appealing to researchers seeking to understand its origins and effects of treatments on its progression, as well as to lecturers in evolutionary medicine - Functions as both an introduction to cancer and evolution and a review of the current research on this burgeoning, exciting field, presented by an international group of leading editors and contributors - Improves understanding of the origin and the evolution of cancer, aiding efforts to determine how this disease interferes with biotic interactions that govern ecosystems - Highlights research that intends to apply evolutionary principles to help predict emergence and metastatic progression with the aim of improving therapies
Download or read book Philosophy of Immunology written by Thomas Pradeu and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-13 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Immunology is central to contemporary biology and medicine, but it also provides novel philosophical insights. Its most significant contribution to philosophy concerns the understanding of biological individuality: what a biological individual is, what makes it unique, how its boundaries are established and what ensures its identity through time. Immunology also offers answers to some of the most interesting philosophical questions. What is the definition of life? How are bodily systems delineated? How do the mind and the body interact? In this Element, Thomas Pradeu considers the ways in which immunology can shed light on these and other important philosophical issues. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Download or read book THE SOCIETY OF CELLS written by Carlos Sonnenschein and published by Springer. This book was released on 1999 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite decades of work and financial support to explore the somatic mutation theory of carcinogenesis, we appear no nearer to explaining how cancer arises. This requires researchers to take stock and consider new hypotheses and alternative approaches to the study of control of cell proliferation, and cancer in particular. The Society of Cells is intended to encourage such a revaluation and proposes the adoption of new premises to explore these important subjects.
Download or read book Cancer Evolution written by Charles Swanton and published by Perspectives Cshl. This book was released on 2017 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tumor progression is driven by mutations that confer growth advantages to different subpopulations of cancer cells. As a tumor grows, these subpopulations expand, accumulate new mutations, and are subjected to selective pressures from the environment, including anticancer interventions. This process, termed clonal evolution, can lead to the emergence of therapy-resistant tumors and poses a major challenge for cancer eradication efforts. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine examines cancer progression as an evolutionary process and explores how this way of looking at cancer may lead to more effective strategies for managing and treating it. The contributors review efforts to characterize the subclonal architecture and dynamics of tumors, understand the roles of chromosomal instability, driver mutations, and mutation order, and determine how cancer cells respond to selective pressures imposed by anticancer agents, immune cells, and other components of the tumor microenvironment. They compare cancer evolution to organismal evolution and describe how ecological theories and mathematical models are being used to understand the complex dynamics between a tumor and its microenvironment during cancer progression. The authors also discuss improved methods to monitor tumor evolution (e.g., liquid biopsies) and the development of more effective strategies for managing and treating cancers (e.g., immunotherapies). This volume will therefore serve as a vital reference for all cancer biologists as well as anyone seeking to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.
