Journal of Cancer Discovery

Advances in research on glioma microenvironment and immunotherapeutic targets

Aiwei Tang — 2022-08-04

The tumor microenvironment is an important regulator in the progression of brain tumors. In the present review, we discussed the roles of various non-cancer cellular components, tumor vessels, and the extracellular matrix in the progression of brain tumors. We also focused on the metabolic remodeling of brain tumors. By providing an overview on the unique and highly complex tissue microenvironment, we hope to support other research groups in finding more available treatment strategies and improving treatment outcomes.

The emerging roles of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C in cancer and other diseases

Haixia Li — 2022-03-02

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (hnRNPC) is a DNA/RNA-binding protein and regulates a huge range of biological processes and disease pathogeneses. hnRNPC recognizes and binds to specific RNA substrates and DNA motifs and is involved in the transcription, splicing processing and stability of a variety of RNA molecules. Besides, hnRNPC maintains the function of telomere, while the dysregulation of hnRNPC is related to the development of various tumors and virus-related diseases. This paper focuses on the role and mechanism of hnRNPC in RNA metabolism, tumors and virus-related diseases.

Exploring the bioactive compounds derived from Plumula Nelumbinis and potential targets for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: A network pharmacology study

Minghui Chang — 2022-08-19

Background: Plumula Nelumbinis (PN), derived from the mature green embryo of the Nelumbonaceae, has been widely used as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health product. Extensive evidence demonstrated that PN and its extracts might also have anti-cancer effects. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential physiological effects and molecular mechanisms of PN against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: We performed a network pharmacology strategy to explore molecular mechanisms of PN against NSCLC. The TCMSP databases and literature research were used to collect the active compounds. The compounds-target genes were obtained from the TCMSP, PubChem, and STITCH database, NSCLC-related genes were obtained from TCGA. The topology analysis strategy, network construct and prognostics analysis were conducted to filter and sort the key genes and underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition, molecular docking analysis provided a new perspective to elucidate the possibility of compounds binding to targets.

Results: The study systematically investigates the potential key components and targets of PN treating NSCLC. The potential target genes mainly involved IL6, EGF, MMP9, PTGS2, JUN, IL1B, FOS, EZH2, CCL2, ICAM1, CDK4, SPP1, CCNB1, AR, PPARG, CDK1 and KDR. The bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that the physiological effects were closely related to synergistic regulation of signal transduction, inflammatory response and oxidation-reduction process. More importantly, the results suggested that PTGS2, JUN and IL6 might be the more important target genes, quercetin and luteolin are probably the more useful compounds, and TNF signaling pathway might play a significant role in PN-mediated anti-cancer effects based on the network and prognostic analysis. Besides, molecular docking analysis results presented binding affinity values of each of the seventeen key genes with their respective compounds.

Conclusions: The present study shows that PN may act on inflammatory response or oxidation process through the TNF signaling pathway, which makes PN a potential treatment strategy for NSCLC. This study offers new insights into PN for future experimental research and provides a scientific basis for more widespread clinical application in the treatment of NSCLC.

Cancer cell-derived exosomes as the delivery vehicle of paclitaxel to inhibit cancer cell growth

Rajashekhar Kanchanapally — 2022-08-31

Delivering water-insoluble drugs, such as paclitaxel (PTX), to the tumor site is a challenge. Exosomes are capable of delivering “cargo” to the target site without causing adverse effects, unlike synthetic nanoparticles. Here, we have prepared PTX-loaded exosomes from breast cancer cells. This formulation is further explored for its activity against breast cancer cell lines. Our data indicate that the exosomes are more efficient than free paclitaxel and liposomal paclitaxel in inhibiting the cancer cell growth. The primary reason for this superior activity is determined to be exosomes’ ability to deliver more amount of drug in the cytosol. However, the exact mechanism by which exosomes deliver the drug across the cell membrane still needs to be explored.

Journal of Cancer Discovery: we are a part of the battlefield

Kai Huang — 2022-03-16

The world has witnessed the tremendous development of anticancer therapies over the past decades. Our tools to fight against this ancient enemy have evolved from traditional chemotherapy to targeted therapy, and then to immunotherapy now. Especially with the great success of immune checkpoint blockade therapies such as anti-PD-1 antibodies, we have taken a giant leap towards the future in which cancer will no longer be seen as an irreparable tragedy of life.

However, we are still far from winning the battle against cancer. The current therapeutic strategies are not close to the final answer of cancer treatment, with limited PFS and OS with almost all the treatments in the majority of the patients and types of cancer. The game is still in the hard mode. That is how I feel when I see the clinical trial results reporting a few more weeks’ prolonged survival time, and doctors all over the world excited about it. Fundamentally, our understanding of the biological processes of cancer is still limited, and new discoveries and ideas are urgently needed to make breakthroughs.

The age of the universe is about 13.7 billion years. The Earth was born roughly 4.5 billion years ago. The first life on Earth appeared about 3.8 billion years ago. The first cancer was found on the fossil of a turtle living nearly 230 million years ago. The first human found to have cancer lived about 1.7 million years ago. The first anticancer drug, nitrogen mustard, was approved 65 years ago. I feel lucky that I live in an era with rapid progress in cancer research and clinical practice, and act as both a doctor in medical oncology and a scientific worker in the field of cancer research to play a part in the fight against this familiar opponent. That’s why we launched the Journal of Cancer Discovery (JCD): we want to be a part of the battlefield, and do our best to provide some new ideas for the human beings to win this billion-year-old battle.

JCD is an open-access, peer-reviewed and bilingual journal. Like other Luminescience journals, in addition to publishing in English, our professional editing team will also provide the readers with abstracts in Chinese, and the full text of some selected manuscripts will be published in both English and Chinese. We also welcome authors to provide us with the abstract in their native language after the article is accepted. Our aim is to enhance global communication in cancer research, and to let different voices from all over the world be heard. We hope and believe that JCD will be an outstanding journal in cancer research in the near future.