Radiotherapy (RT) is an important cancer treatment with delivery to more than half of cancer patients, and around 40% of patients cured of cancer have received RT. Before the recent decade, scientists were focusing on the direct cytotoxic effects of RT on cancer cells due to its ability to damage DNA and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). More recently the immunomodulatory effects of RT are emerging as a key component in RT-induced tumor killing.
Recent studies have shed light on the role of radiation in activating innate immune responses in cancer cells. Radiation-induced micronuclei and free nucleic acids can be recognized by the cellular pathogen-sensing system, which in turn promotes type I interferon (T1IFN) production and cancer cell immunogenicity. The combination of DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors with radiation further enhances the innate antitumor immunity. These findings indicate that DDR inhibitors are not only radiosensitizers as well as immunesensitizers. However, whether inhibitors targeting different key DDR enzymes share common mechanisms or have unique characteristics still remains unknown. Little research has been devoted to this process.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of the effects of targeting DDR with or without radiation on the activation of the innate immunity system in cancer cells as well as its therapeutical potential.
We would like to welcome submissions in the form of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and/or Mini-Reviews focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Biochemical, molecular, genomic, proteomic studies related to radiation and/or DDR inhibitor-induced antitumor innate immunity
• Cellular pathogen-sensing system (not limited to DNA sensors) and signaling pathways that mediate the antitumor innate immunity by radiation and/or DDR inhibitors
• Flow cytometry, mass cytometry and/or single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyzing innate immunity of ex vivo and in vivo tumour-related models in response to radiation and DDR inhibitors
A
• Translational potentials of DDR inhibitors (such as inhibitors targeting PARP, ATR, ATM, DNA-PKcs, WEE1, CHK1/2) related to antitumor innate immunity
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
Radiotherapy (RT) is an important cancer treatment with delivery to more than half of cancer patients, and around 40% of patients cured of cancer have received RT. Before the recent decade, scientists were focusing on the direct cytotoxic effects of RT on cancer cells due to its ability to damage DNA and produce reactive oxygen species (ROS). More recently the immunomodulatory effects of RT are emerging as a key component in RT-induced tumor killing.
Recent studies have shed light on the role of radiation in activating innate immune responses in cancer cells. Radiation-induced micronuclei and free nucleic acids can be recognized by the cellular pathogen-sensing system, which in turn promotes type I interferon (T1IFN) production and cancer cell immunogenicity. The combination of DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors with radiation further enhances the innate antitumor immunity. These findings indicate that DDR inhibitors are not only radiosensitizers as well as immunesensitizers. However, whether inhibitors targeting different key DDR enzymes share common mechanisms or have unique characteristics still remains unknown. Little research has been devoted to this process.
The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a comprehensive overview of the effects of targeting DDR with or without radiation on the activation of the innate immunity system in cancer cells as well as its therapeutical potential.
We would like to welcome submissions in the form of Original Research Articles, Reviews, and/or Mini-Reviews focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• Biochemical, molecular, genomic, proteomic studies related to radiation and/or DDR inhibitor-induced antitumor innate immunity
• Cellular pathogen-sensing system (not limited to DNA sensors) and signaling pathways that mediate the antitumor innate immunity by radiation and/or DDR inhibitors
• Flow cytometry, mass cytometry and/or single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyzing innate immunity of ex vivo and in vivo tumour-related models in response to radiation and DDR inhibitors
A
• Translational potentials of DDR inhibitors (such as inhibitors targeting PARP, ATR, ATM, DNA-PKcs, WEE1, CHK1/2) related to antitumor innate immunity
Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this section and will not be accepted as part of this Research Topic.
