The decades-long “war on cancer” has largely focused on intrinsic signaling governing cancer progression. This approach has resulted in mixed but mostly disappointing results. Therapy resistance and relapse are the most significant barriers to effective cancer treatment. These barriers often result from the hijacking of stem cell programs by subpopulations of cancer cells. Stem cell programs are driven by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms particularly impacting long-term proliferation potential, survival, drug resistance, and immune privilege. Understanding genetic and epigenetic regulation of the stem cell microenvironment as it relates to homeostatic maintenance, regeneration in response to stress, and the hijacking of these mechanisms by cancer stem cells will lead to new strategies for targeting therapy resistance and relapse.
The genetic and epigenetic mechanisms governing the stem cell microenvironment in homeostasis, regeneration, and oncogenesis will be examined. Emerging studies on the immune microenvironment and its role in the acquisition and maintenance of stem cell states and how these break down in driving immune escape will be investigated. While significant work has been published in the fields of stem cells biology, the stem cell niche, and oncoimmunology, a synthesis of this work is largely lacking but will be critical for future progress.
The scope of this series should be focused on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating stem cells particularly with regards to their microenvironment including immune cells. Themes including the regulation of stem cell homeostasis, regeneration, and the corruption of these mechanism in normal stem cells and their microenvironment in oncogenesis are appreciated.
The decades-long “war on cancer” has largely focused on intrinsic signaling governing cancer progression. This approach has resulted in mixed but mostly disappointing results. Therapy resistance and relapse are the most significant barriers to effective cancer treatment. These barriers often result from the hijacking of stem cell programs by subpopulations of cancer cells. Stem cell programs are driven by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms particularly impacting long-term proliferation potential, survival, drug resistance, and immune privilege. Understanding genetic and epigenetic regulation of the stem cell microenvironment as it relates to homeostatic maintenance, regeneration in response to stress, and the hijacking of these mechanisms by cancer stem cells will lead to new strategies for targeting therapy resistance and relapse.
The genetic and epigenetic mechanisms governing the stem cell microenvironment in homeostasis, regeneration, and oncogenesis will be examined. Emerging studies on the immune microenvironment and its role in the acquisition and maintenance of stem cell states and how these break down in driving immune escape will be investigated. While significant work has been published in the fields of stem cells biology, the stem cell niche, and oncoimmunology, a synthesis of this work is largely lacking but will be critical for future progress.
The scope of this series should be focused on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating stem cells particularly with regards to their microenvironment including immune cells. Themes including the regulation of stem cell homeostasis, regeneration, and the corruption of these mechanism in normal stem cells and their microenvironment in oncogenesis are appreciated.
