Colorful spy tactics track live cells supporting cancerous tumors

September 17, 2008

New real-time imaging technique captures cell movements in mouse model of breast cancer

A new advance in cellular imaging is allowing scientists to better understand the movement of cells in the area around tumors, also known as the tumor microenvironment. In a recent article published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org, Zena Werb and colleagues used optimized methods of laser microscopy to track the movement of live cells in a mouse model of breast cancer.

As a tumor grows, it triggers immune responses in the body, and recruits assistance from normal cells in order to "feed" and support the spread of the cancerous growth. The influence of the tumor on nearby cells is dependent on the microenvironment surrounding the tumor. Some immune cells and structural proteins defend the body against the tumor, while others help the tumor grow and spread.

In order to watch the activity of these cells, researchers injected fluorescent dyes near tumors in mouse models of breast cancer which also expressed fluorescently tagged cells A specially designed microscope allowed live imaging of tumor-associated cells for more than 12 hours, while retaining the high resolution necessary to watch individual cells move in real-time. They saw that subsets of immune cells move differently - some migrate along blood vessels, while others remain at the border of the tumor. Additionally, changes in the tumor microenvironment, such as a reduction of oxygen, caused some immune cells to stop migrating.

This study sheds light on how certain immune cells help or hinder tumor growth. This in turn aids in identifying drug targets which can be inhibited to prevent the spread of cancer, or conversely, targets which can be stimulated to enhance the body's natural immune response to cancer. Additionally, this new imaging technique has potential beyond studying cancer, such as watching cell movement in other tissues and organs, both diseased and healthy.

The Company of Biologists

---

---

	Tumor Microenvironment by Dietmar W. Siemann (Editor) The microenvironment in which a tumor originates plays a critical role in its initiation and progression. Tumor Microenvironment reviews the importance of tumor microenvironment in cancer management. Particular emphasis is placed on discussing how the unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment not only impact disease progression and response to conventional anticancer therapies, but have also led to the identification of potential new therapeutic targets and treatment possibilities for cancer patients. Tumor Microenvironment also reviews the fundamental basis of target development, preclinical assessment, and the current clinical status of these therapies.
	Tumor Ablation: Effects on Systemic and Local Anti-Tumor Immunity and on Other Tumor-Microenvironment Interactions (The Tumor Microenvironment) by Yona Keisari (Editor) The growing knowledge on tumor-immune response interactions and on the tumor microenvironment did not translate so far into better control of cancer by anti-tumor vaccination. The percentage of patients who benefited from vaccination strategies is still too small to justify their general use. It is the aim of this book to present an alternative to the conventional approach of developing injected tumor vaccines to activate anti-tumor immunity, which will fight cancer. It is argued that in situ tumor ablation (destruction) that involves tumor antigen release; cross presentation and the release of danger associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) can make the tumor its own cellular vaccine. Tumor ablation methods using chemicals, radiation, photodynamic therapy, cryoablation, high-temperature,...
	Micro and Nanoengineering of the Cell Microenvironment: Technologies and Applications (Engineering in Medicine & Biology) by Ali Khademhosseini (Editor), Jeffrey Borenstein (Editor), Mehmet Toner (Editor) Emerging cell-based technologies have brought us to the brink of incredible biomedical advances like artificial skin and organ tissue generation. This state-of-the-art work brings bioengineers to the cutting edge of the micro and nanotechnologies involved. It covers the latest microfabrication and material synthesis developments that are paving the way to a whole new generation of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Written by a "who's who" of pioneers in the field, the volume covers groundbreaking advances in microfluidic devices, surface patterning, 3D scaffolds, and techniques for engineering cellular mechanical properties and topography. The book systematically reviews emerging applications, including assisted fertilization and the bioengineering of neural, vascular, cardiac, cartilage,...
	The Tumor Microenvironment (Cancer Drug Discovery and Development) by Rebecca G. Bagley (Editor) This book will explore the many biological and physical aspects of the tumor microenvironment. The book will include chapters on the various cells that influence tumor growth and function as well as the cell-associated and soluble proteins that can promote invasion and metastasis. Several chapters will describe endothelial cells and pericytes that form tumor vasculature. Insights on the role of progenitor and stem cells will be included. The contribution of the supporting stroma will be addressed in addition to cell-cell signaling and cell-matrix interactions. Additional chapters will describe the influence of infiltrating cells of the immune system on tumor growth.
	From Molecular to Modular Tumor Therapy:: Tumors are Reconstructible Communicatively Evolving Systems (The Tumor Microenvironment) by Albrecht Reichle (Editor) The traditional problem of the poor presentability as well as diagnostic and therapeutic practicability of individual patient care is still unresolved. The present book aims at leading the reader (cancer researchers, pharmacologists, biologists) away―in a scientifically accessible manner―from the daily conflicts between theory and practice and between the generalized and individual tumor patient, so that more personalized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies can be developed for controlling metastatic tumor disease: • First, recording the systems concept of tumor biology based on rather different sciences (biochemistry, cell biology, and medical oncology) including their potential contribution to communication, • then, giving reductionistically derived systems features an...
	Cancer Microenvironment and Therapeutic Implications: Tumor Pathophysiology Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies by Gianfranco Baronzio (Editor), Giammaria Fiorentini (Editor), Christopher R. Cogle (Editor) In the post-genomic era, cancer is a genetic disease. However, cancer genotype does not always equal cancer phenotype. Cancers with the same genetic abnormalities don’t always behave the same. Understanding and eradicating cancers will require an appreciation for cancer’s ecology. This book is the first to comprehensively explore and critically appraise cancer microenvironments and host interactions with an eye towards exploiting our understanding for new treatments. The team of contributors share amongst them impressive experiences at the laboratory bench and in the clinic. These physician-scientists have dedicated themselves to the tension between the urgency for cures and the technical challenges of discovery. The target audience includes clinical oncologists, clinical...
	Cancer Genome and Tumor Microenvironment (Cancer Genetics) by Andrei Thomas-Tikhonenko (Editor) Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes had been traditionally studied in the context of cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and survival, four relatively cell-autonomous processes. Consequently, in the late ’80s-early ’90s, neoplastic growth was described largely as an imbalance between net cell accumulation and loss, brought about through mutations in cancer genes. In the last ten years, a more holistic understanding of cancer has slowly emerged, stressing the importance of interactions between neoplastic and various stromal components: extracellular matrix, basement membranes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells of blood and lymphatic vessels, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, etc. The commonly held view is that changes in tumor microenvironment are “soft-wired”, i.e.,...
	Innate and Adaptive Immunity in the Tumor Microenvironment by Eitan Yefenof (Editor) Traditionally, the interplay between cancer cells and host immunity has been studied systemically. Recent studies, however, indicate that the tumor microenvironment is unique in providing both supportive and inhibitory factors that determine the fate of the tumor and its host. This volume compiles reviews on innate and adaptive immune responses at the tumor microenvironment with emphasis on positive and negative outcomes that affect the progression of the disease.
	The Neuronal Microenvironment (Neuromethods) by Alan A. Boulton (Editor), Glen B. Baker (Editor), Wolfgang Walz (Editor)
	Handbook of the Hemopoietic Microenvironment (Contemporary Biomedicine) by Mehdi Tavassoli (Editor)