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New Molecular Mechanisms and Advanced Therapies for Solid Tumors

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4055

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Istituto di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Interests: cancer; kinase inhibitor; target therapy; signal transduction; cell cycle; mitogenesis; survival; resistance
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid tumors account for approximately 90% of adult human cancers. The two main types of solid tumors are sarcomas and carcinomas.

The current most common solid tumors are breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and skin cancer. 

Treatment for solid tumors generally combines several types of therapy, which can basically include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. With the new understanding of the molecular mechanisms of solid tumor progression, leading to the evolution of many new therapeutic regimens and their subsequent trials, targeted drug therapy, immunotherapy and personalized medicines are now widely employed.

Current precision medicine for solid tumors includes a combination of appropriate cytotoxic agents and targeted drugs for each molecular subtype. Since molecular subtypes provide appropriate therapeutic targets, various molecular subtypes have been explored for gene mutation, gene expression, and protein expression. However, this tumor heterogeneity is considered to be one of the main reasons for chemoresistance, as refractory solid tumors exhibit very high tumor heterogeneity and fail to be eradicated even when treated with different anticancer drugs.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for the research on new molecular mechanisms in solid tumors, with particular attention to potential new targets and treatments and therefore to new pathogenetic pathways involved in these diseases. We welcome your submissions of original papers and updated review articles based on findings from a molecular point of view.

Prof. Dr. Valentina De Falco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • solid tumor
  • kinase inhibitors
  • animal model
  • cell culture
  • drug resistance
  • signal transduction
  • survival
  • cell reprogramming
  • pathways
  • clinical trials
  • target therapy
  • cell cycle
  • cell death inhibiting
  • oncogene
  • precision medicine

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2215 KiB  
Article
Next Generation CD44v6-Specific CAR-NK Cells Effective against Triple Negative Breast Cancer
by Martin J. Raftery, Alexander Sebastian Franzén, Clarissa Radecke, Abdelhadi Boulifa, Günther Schönrich, Sebastian Stintzing, Jens-Uwe Blohmer and Gabriele Pecher
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 9038; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24109038 - 20 May 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2226
Abstract
There is a medical need to develop new and effective therapies against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells are a promising alternative to CAR-T cell therapy for cancer. A search for a suitable target in TNBC identified [...] Read more.
There is a medical need to develop new and effective therapies against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells are a promising alternative to CAR-T cell therapy for cancer. A search for a suitable target in TNBC identified CD44v6, an adhesion molecule expressed in lymphomas, leukemias and solid tumors that is implicated in tumorigenesis and metastases. We have developed a next-generation CAR targeting CD44v6 that incorporates IL-15 superagonist and checkpoint inhibitor molecules. We could show that CD44v6 CAR-NK cells demonstrated effective cytotoxicity against TNBC in 3D spheroid models. The IL-15 superagonist was specifically released upon recognition of CD44v6 on TNBC and contributed to the cytotoxic attack. PD1 ligands are upregulated in TNBC and contribute to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Competitive inhibition of PD1 neutralized inhibition by PD1 ligands expressed on TNBC. In total, CD44v6 CAR-NK cells are resistant to TME immunosuppression and offer a new therapeutic option for the treatment of BC, including TNBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Molecular Mechanisms and Advanced Therapies for Solid Tumors)
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Review

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17 pages, 1034 KiB  
Review
Bladder Epicheck Test: A Novel Tool to Support Urothelial Carcinoma Diagnosis in Urine Samples
by Vincenzo Fiorentino, Cristina Pizzimenti, Mariausilia Franchina, Esther Diana Rossi, Pietro Tralongo, Angela Carlino, Luigi Maria Larocca, Maurizio Martini, Guido Fadda and Francesco Pierconti
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12489; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms241512489 - 06 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1434
Abstract
Bladder cancer and upper urothelial tract carcinoma are common diseases with a high risk of recurrence, thus necessitating follow-up after initial treatment. The management of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) after transurethral resection involves surveillance, intravesical therapy, and cytology with cystoscopy. Urinary cytology, [...] Read more.
Bladder cancer and upper urothelial tract carcinoma are common diseases with a high risk of recurrence, thus necessitating follow-up after initial treatment. The management of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) after transurethral resection involves surveillance, intravesical therapy, and cytology with cystoscopy. Urinary cytology, cystoscopy, and radiological evaluation of the upper urinary tract are recommended during follow-up in the international urological guidelines. Cystoscopy is the standard examination for the first assessment and follow-up of NMIBC, and urine cytology is a widely used urinary test with high sensitivity for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS). In recent years, various urinary assays, including DNA methylation markers, have been used to detect bladder tumors. Among these, the Bladder EpiCheck test is one of the most widely used and is based on analysis of the methylation profile of urothelial cells to detect bladder neoplasms. This review assesses the importance of methylation analysis and the Bladder EpiCheck test as urinary biomarkers for diagnosing urothelial carcinomas in patients in follow-up for NMIBC, helping cytology and cystoscopy in doubtful cases. A combined approach of cytology and methylation analysis is suggested not only to diagnose HGUC, but also to predict clinical and histological recurrences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Molecular Mechanisms and Advanced Therapies for Solid Tumors)
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