Unveiling The Tumor Microenvironment By Machine Learning To Develop New Immunotherapeutic Strategies Volume I A

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumor proliferation, progression, and therapeutic responses. TME is a complex network of cancer cells, stromal cells, and, most importantly, infiltrating immune cells. Cancer cells regulate numerous biological functions through direct or indirect interaction with TME components. Emerging evidence suggests that TME crucially influences the response to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. As scientific research has entered the big data era with the fast development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, machine learning has been gradually widely applied to extract important knowledge from big data bioinformatics. Thus, characterizing the TME landscape in cancer and identifying different immune-related TME phenotypes using machine learning-based bioinformatics analyses, in vitro experiments, and in vivo experiments are of great interest and significance.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in tumor proliferation, progression, and therapeutic responses. TME is a complex network of cancer cells, stromal cells, and, most importantly, infiltrating immune cells. Cancer cells regulate numerous biological functions through direct or indirect interaction with TME components. Emerging evidence suggests that TME crucially influences the response to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy. As scientific research has entered the big data era with the fast development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, machine learning has been gradually widely applied to extract important knowledge from big data bioinformatics. Thus, characterizing the TME landscape in cancer and identifying different immune-related TME phenotypes using machine learning-based bioinformatics analyses, in vitro experiments, and in vivo experiments are of great interest and significance.

In this book we provide insights into liver – cancer and immunology. Experts in the field provide an overview over fundamental immunological questions in liver cancer and tumorimmunology, which form the base for immune based approaches in HCC, which gain increasing interest in the community due to first promising results obtained in early clinical trials. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer related death in the United States. Treatment options are limited. Viral hepatitis is one of the major risk factors for HCC, which represents a typical “inflammation-induced” cancer. Immune-based treatment approaches have revolutionized oncology in recent years. Various treatment strategies have received FDA approval including dendritic cell vaccination, for prostate cancer as well as immune checkpoint inhibition targeting the CTLA4 or the PD1/PDL1 axis in melanoma, lung, and kidney cancer. Additionally, cell based therapies (adoptive T cell therapy, CAR T cells and TCR transduced T cells) have demonstrated significant efficacy in patients with B cell malignancies and melanoma. Immune checkpoint inhibitors in particular have generated enormous excitement across the entire field of oncology, providing a significant benefit to a minority of patients.

This book systematically reviews the most important findings on cancer immune checkpoints, sharing essential insights into this rapidly evolving yet largely unexplored research topic. The past decade has seen major advances in cancer immune checkpoint therapy, which has demonstrated impressive clinical benefits. The family of checkpoints for mediating cancer immune evasion now includes CTLA-4, PD-1/PD-L1, CD27/CD70, FGL-1/LAG-3, Siglec-15, VISTA (PD-1L)/VSIG3, CD47/SIRPA, APOE/LILRB4, TIGIT, and many others. Despite these strides, most patients do not show lasting remission, and some cancers have been completely resistant to the therapy. The potentially lethal adverse effects of checkpoint blockade represent another major challenge, the mechanisms of which remain poorly understood. Compared to the cancer signaling pathways, such as p53 and Ras, mechanistic studies on immune checkpoint pathways are still in their infancy. To improve the responses to checkpoint blockade therapy and limit the adverse effects, it is essential to understand the molecular regulation of checkpoint molecules in both malignant and healthy cells/tissues. This book begins with an introduction to immune checkpoint therapy and its challenges, and subsequently describes the regulation of checkpoints at different levels. In closing, it discusses recent therapeutic developments based on mechanistic findings, and outlines goals for future translational studies. The book offers a valuable resource for researchers in the cancer immunotherapy field, helping to form a roadmap for checkpoint regulation and develop safer and more effective immunotherapies.

Offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary view of cutting-edge research on advanced materials for healthcare technology and applications Advanced healthcare materials are attracting strong interest in fundamental as well as applied medical science and technology. This book summarizes the current state of knowledge in the field of advanced materials for functional therapeutics, point-of-care diagnostics, translational materials, and up-and-coming bioengineering devices. Advanced Healthcare Materials highlights the key features that enable the design of stimuli-responsive smart nanoparticles, novel biomaterials, and nano/micro devices for either diagnosis or therapy, or both, called theranostics. It also presents the latest advancements in healthcare materials and medical technology. The senior researchers from global knowledge centers have written topics including: State-of-the-art of biomaterials for human health Micro- and nanoparticles and their application in biosensors The role of immunoassays Stimuli-responsive smart nanoparticles Diagnosis and treatment of cancer Advanced materials for biomedical application and drug delivery Nanoparticles for diagnosis and/or treatment of Alzheimers disease Hierarchical modelling of elastic behavior of human dental tissue Biodegradable porous hydrogels Hydrogels in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound care Modified natural zeolites Supramolecular hydrogels based on cyclodextrin poly(pseudo)rotaxane Polyhydroxyalkanoate-based biomaterials Biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymers

Medical Image Analysis presents practical knowledge on medical image computing and analysis as written by top educators and experts. This text is a modern, practical, self-contained reference that conveys a mix of fundamental methodological concepts within different medical domains. Sections cover core representations and properties of digital images and image enhancement techniques, advanced image computing methods (including segmentation, registration, motion and shape analysis), machine learning, how medical image computing (MIC) is used in clinical and medical research, and how to identify alternative strategies and employ software tools to solve typical problems in MIC. Provides an authoritative description of key concepts and methods Includes tutorial-based sections that clearly explain principles and their application to different medical domains Presents a representative selection of topics to match a modern and relevant approach to medical image computing

In this book, leading experts in cancer immunotherapy join forces to provide a comprehensive guide that sets out the main principles of oncoimmunology and examines the latest advances and their implications for clinical practice, focusing in particular on drugs with FDA/EMA approvals and breakthrough status. The aim is to deliver a landmark educational tool that will serve as the definitive reference for MD and PhD students while also meeting the needs of established researchers and healthcare professionals. Immunotherapy-based approaches are now inducing long-lasting clinical responses across multiple histological types of neoplasia, in previously difficult-to-treat metastatic cancers. The future challenges for oncologists are to understand and exploit the cellular and molecular components of complex immune networks, to optimize combinatorial regimens, to avoid immune-related side effects, and to plan immunomonitoring studies for biomarker discovery. The editors hope that this book will guide future and established health professionals toward the effective application of cancer immunology and immunotherapy and contribute significantly to further progress in the field.