Inflammation and Cancer: From Basic Mechanisms to Therapeutic Targets скачать в хорошем качестве

Inflammation and Cancer: From Basic Mechanisms to Therapeutic Targets

Lisa M. Coussens, Professor and Chair, Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, and Co-Deputy Director, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University Cancer remains an unmet medical need for many patients whose incidence is growing as populations age. Initially characterized as homogeneous masses of abnormal cells with heightened proliferative and migratory capabilities, they are (surprisingly) tolerated by the organism. We now appreciate, however, that cancers are heterogeneous multi-cellular ecosystems whose growth, survival, and response to therapy depend on reciprocal interactions between genetically altered ‘initiated’ cells and dynamic microenvironments in which they live. Various programs that maintain tissue homeostasis (vascular, mesenchymal, extracellular matrix, and immune) are co-opted by solid tumors to evade cell death and immune-mediated eradication, which also aid malignant progression. Coussens's research identified both pro- and anti-tumoral activities of immune cells within solid tumors, and she will discuss how states of chronic inflammation within cancers are being dissected to identify rate-limiting immune vulnerabilities amenable for therapeutic targeting. Elected in 2023, Coussens represents Class IV's section on Medical Genetics, Hematology, and Oncology.