About this Research Topic
Primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT) are among the most commonly diagnosed tumors in children worldwide. They comprise many histological subcategories and are the principal cause of cancer-related death in children from birth to adolescence. The unique biology of the brain and its microenvironment are significant common features of this diverse group of diseases. Their complexity represents an additional degree of difficulty in understanding the fundamental biological processes and developing new effective therapies.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) in PMBT changes with disease progression, and its composition can adapt under the pressure of treatments such as surgical resection, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Moreover, the TME is central to tumorigenesis, tumor expansion, and metastasis development. Published studies have demonstrated that the TME is a complex environment, containing not only tumor cells but also several types of supporting cells (activated fibroblasts, blood vessels, infiltrating immune cells, and extracellular matrix), additional cells, hormones, and inflammatory responses. Finally, although the immune tumor microenvironment (TME) in primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT) is significantly less studied in children compared to adult cancers, it is even more crucial to focus on this area. The unique challenges and aggressive nature of pediatric brain tumors make it imperative to develop life-saving immunotherapies tailored specifically for young patients. Ongoing research is focused on understanding the specific mechanisms of the brain TME and developing strategies to modulate the balance between pro-tumor and anti-tumor immune responses for better therapeutic outcomes. This includes targeting specific immune cells (using checkpoint inhibitors to boost T cell activity, reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)) and pathways to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, in the effort to identify new therapeutic targets, the PMBT tumor microenvironment (TME) remains a top research interest.
This research topic aims to provide an overview of the strategies and systems to understand and manipulate the TME balance, as well as the latest methods to study brain tumor-immune system interactions and the latest advancements in brain cancer immunotherapy.
This may include, but is not limited to, the following sub-topics:
1. Immunotherapies for brain tumors aim to enhance anti-tumor responses and overcome the immunosuppressive TME.
2. Challenges faced by immunotherapies for brain tumors.
3. Evidence of enhanced immune cell infiltration in the PMBT TME.
4. Animal models that can replace the PMBT children TME.
5. Methodologies to derive brain TME using both patient-derived organoids and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) brain organoids.
Please note that, the all common types of scientific articles will be accepted, we will specifically focus on original research articles, review articles, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) in PMBT changes with disease progression, and its composition can adapt under the pressure of treatments such as surgical resection, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Moreover, the TME is central to tumorigenesis, tumor expansion, and metastasis development. Published studies have demonstrated that the TME is a complex environment, containing not only tumor cells but also several types of supporting cells (activated fibroblasts, blood vessels, infiltrating immune cells, and extracellular matrix), additional cells, hormones, and inflammatory responses. Finally, although the immune tumor microenvironment (TME) in primary malignant brain tumors (PMBT) is significantly less studied in children compared to adult cancers, it is even more crucial to focus on this area. The unique challenges and aggressive nature of pediatric brain tumors make it imperative to develop life-saving immunotherapies tailored specifically for young patients. Ongoing research is focused on understanding the specific mechanisms of the brain TME and developing strategies to modulate the balance between pro-tumor and anti-tumor immune responses for better therapeutic outcomes. This includes targeting specific immune cells (using checkpoint inhibitors to boost T cell activity, reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)) and pathways to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, in the effort to identify new therapeutic targets, the PMBT tumor microenvironment (TME) remains a top research interest.
This research topic aims to provide an overview of the strategies and systems to understand and manipulate the TME balance, as well as the latest methods to study brain tumor-immune system interactions and the latest advancements in brain cancer immunotherapy.
This may include, but is not limited to, the following sub-topics:
1. Immunotherapies for brain tumors aim to enhance anti-tumor responses and overcome the immunosuppressive TME.
2. Challenges faced by immunotherapies for brain tumors.
3. Evidence of enhanced immune cell infiltration in the PMBT TME.
4. Animal models that can replace the PMBT children TME.
5. Methodologies to derive brain TME using both patient-derived organoids and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) brain organoids.
Please note that, the all common types of scientific articles will be accepted, we will specifically focus on original research articles, review articles, systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
Keywords: Pediatric brain cancer, Tumor microenvironment, Immunotherapy enhancement, Checkpoint inhibitors, Tumor-associated macrophages
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
