Tumor Host Interactions – THI

Topics

• Molecular and cellular aspects of interactions between tumors, stromal cells (including fibroblasts, glial cells, adipocytes, immune cells, vascular and bone marrow components) and extracellular matrix with an emphasis on tumor cell biology in tumorigenesis and metastatic niches.
• Exploration of physiologically responsive in vitro 3D systems, organotypic and new model organisms or model systems to study tumor cells in the context of a tissue-like and in vivo environment.
• Investigation of interactions between metastatic tumor cells and site-specific organs such as the bone/bone marrow microenvironment, lung and brain, and to study the cancer stem cell niche and tumor cell dormancy.
• Organismal physiology, endocrine, obesity, immunology and microbiome effects on tumor growth.
• Immune response to cancer.
• Cachexia as a consequence or reflection of tumor-host interactions.

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with Basic Cancer Immunobiology (BCIB) study section in tumor immunology. Applications proposing to study interactions between tumor cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment in tumorigenesis may be reviewed in THI. Applications focusing on understanding immune biology and tumor immune cell functions in the tumor microenvironment may be reviewed in BCIB.

There are shared interests with Tumor Evolution, Heterogeneity and Metastasis (TEHM) in extracellular matrix, angiogenesis and the metastatic niche. Applications that focus on tumor cell intrinsic processes may be reviewed in TEHM. Applications that focus on interactions between tumor cells and cells in the tumor microenvironment may be reviewed in THI.

There are shared interests with Cancer Cell Biology (CCB) in tumor cell metabolism and intercellular communications. Applications that focus on cell-intrinsic mechanisms associated with metabolism and intercellular communications may be reviewed in CCB. Applications that focus on interactions between tumor cells and cells in the surrounding microenvironment may be reviewed in THI.

There are shared interests with Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics A, B, C in studies involving the tumor microenvironment. Applications that focus on mechanistic studies of the effects of anti-neoplastic agents as therapeutics in the context of the tumor microenvironment may be reviewed in the MCTs. Applications that focus on the use anti-neoplastic agents as tools to examine basic mechanisms may be reviewed in THI.

There are shared interests in the areas of neural and brain tumors with Cancer Cell Biology (CCB), Cancer Genetics (CG), and Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors (CNBT). Applications that emphasize examining the interplay between molecular and cellular components of tumor microenvironments and extracellular matrices are reviewed in THI. Applications that emphasize basic mechanisms of cell biology that are appropriated and dysregulated in cancer, leading to phenotypic changes that impact tumorigenesis are reviewed in CCB. Applications that emphasize the identification and characterization of target genes involved in tumor pathogenesis or in genomic instability and epigenetics are reviewed in CG. Applications that emphasize immunological aspects of neural tissues and/or the unique aspects of the tumor microenvironment and interactions within the brain as related to brain tumors – and brain tumor/host interactions are reviewed in CNBT.