Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) undergo epigenetic changes and produce secretory factors, exosomes and metabolites that influence tumour angiogenesis, immunology and metabolism, in addition to extracellular matrix components that contribute to the structure and function of the tumour stroma. CAFs have long been considered an attractive therapeutic target as they are thought to have pro-cancer properties; however, clinical trials of therapeutic strategies targeting CAFs have mostly failed and, in some cases, even accelerated cancer progression, leading to poor survival outcomes. This may be due to several reasons. First, research models need to be improved. Traditional cancer research models (e.g., 2D cell culture, PDX model) have their own limitations and cannot effectively reflect the real situation of human tumours, leading to a decrease in the efficiency of clinical translation of basic research results. Second, CAFs are heterogeneous cells, which means that their properties and interactions with other cell types may change as the malignancy progresses. Third, the mechanisms of cellular interactions in the microenvironment are extremely complex and not yet well understood. More biomedical engineering research based on novel cancer research models and molecular biology research based on CAFs heterogeneity and cell-to-cell interaction mechanisms will help develop new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and allow better translation of "bench" results to "bed" applications.
CAFs are a prospective therapeutic target in cancer treatment because of their significant role in cancer progression. Many therapeutic efforts targeting CAFs or associated stromal components, on the other hand, have failed to enhance clinical results, underlining the complicated role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment and the need for new research models. We'd like to dedicate a topic to current trends and recent breakthroughs in CAF-based basic and translational clinical research in response to this study issue, and we actively welcome research based on novel research model development, CAF heterogeneity, and cell-to-cell interaction mechanisms. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Novel CAFs-based preclinical research models (e.g., animal models, organoids, organs-on-a-chip)
• CAFs-focused molecular and cellular pathways that support or inhibit tumor development and tumor microenvironment reshaping
• CAFs-targeted pre-clinical and clinical trials to improve cancer therapy outcomes.
• CAFs heterogeneity or subtypes based on signature gene and protein expression profiles.
• CAFs biomarkers relevant to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) undergo epigenetic changes and produce secretory factors, exosomes and metabolites that influence tumour angiogenesis, immunology and metabolism, in addition to extracellular matrix components that contribute to the structure and function of the tumour stroma. CAFs have long been considered an attractive therapeutic target as they are thought to have pro-cancer properties; however, clinical trials of therapeutic strategies targeting CAFs have mostly failed and, in some cases, even accelerated cancer progression, leading to poor survival outcomes. This may be due to several reasons. First, research models need to be improved. Traditional cancer research models (e.g., 2D cell culture, PDX model) have their own limitations and cannot effectively reflect the real situation of human tumours, leading to a decrease in the efficiency of clinical translation of basic research results. Second, CAFs are heterogeneous cells, which means that their properties and interactions with other cell types may change as the malignancy progresses. Third, the mechanisms of cellular interactions in the microenvironment are extremely complex and not yet well understood. More biomedical engineering research based on novel cancer research models and molecular biology research based on CAFs heterogeneity and cell-to-cell interaction mechanisms will help develop new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and allow better translation of "bench" results to "bed" applications.
CAFs are a prospective therapeutic target in cancer treatment because of their significant role in cancer progression. Many therapeutic efforts targeting CAFs or associated stromal components, on the other hand, have failed to enhance clinical results, underlining the complicated role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment and the need for new research models. We'd like to dedicate a topic to current trends and recent breakthroughs in CAF-based basic and translational clinical research in response to this study issue, and we actively welcome research based on novel research model development, CAF heterogeneity, and cell-to-cell interaction mechanisms. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Novel CAFs-based preclinical research models (e.g., animal models, organoids, organs-on-a-chip)
• CAFs-focused molecular and cellular pathways that support or inhibit tumor development and tumor microenvironment reshaping
• CAFs-targeted pre-clinical and clinical trials to improve cancer therapy outcomes.
• CAFs heterogeneity or subtypes based on signature gene and protein expression profiles.
• CAFs biomarkers relevant to cancer diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
