In 2020, Monje and some other top scientists established a field of the discipline called “cancer neuroscience” based on the recognition of the participation of the nervous system in cancer growth and migration and in order to further investigate how the nervous system communicates with cancer. The innervated niche, also referred to as “perineural niche” or “neural regulation in TME” in some previous studies, was viewed as a specialized tumor microenvironment. It was characterized by close crosstalk among nerve, cancer cells, and non-malignant cells mediated by acellular components such as nerve-derived neurotransmitters or neuropeptides. Drug discovery targeting innervated niche may bring about a new therapeutic approach to anti-cancer therapy. The appeal of drug repurposing in cancer is increasing mainly for its cost-effectiveness and safety. The introduction of drug repurposing into targeting innervated niche may speed up pharmacological approaches in clinical practice and guide treatment choices.
Though the understanding of innervated niche in the tumor microenvironment was still at a beginning stage. The past several years did witness great progress in cancer neuroscience and innervated niche. For example, the activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) signaling pathway accelerated brain metastasis and led to a poor prognosis. Activation of ß-adrenergic signaling was associated with tumor growth, migration, and angiogenesis. Meanwhile, the usage of nonselective ß-blockers in ovarian cancer patients was correlated with prolonged overall survival. This research topic aims at creating a forum for recent progress in cancer neuroscience, including the composition of innervated niche, the crosstalk between the nervous system and cancer cells, and improvements in research techniques. It will also focus on the evaluation of the potential of the old drug in new use targeting innervated niche in cancer therapy.
In this research topic, we sincerely invite researchers working in this field to submit original research articles, clinical trial articles, meta-analyses, or reviews to enhance the understanding of cancer neuroscience and propose potential drug repurposing candidates targeting the innervated niche. The themes include but are not limited to, the following specific themes:
• The cellular or acellular components of the innervated niche
• Crosstalk between the nervous system and cancer
• Research techniques (e.g., bioinformatics, imaging, optogenetics, tumor cytobiology, molecular biology) in cancer neuroscience
• The effect of neurectomy in cancer patients
• The relationship between NMDAR signaling and cancer growth and metastasis
• Anti-cancer effect of ß-adrenergic antagonist
• Candidate for drug repurposing targeting innervated niche
In 2020, Monje and some other top scientists established a field of the discipline called “cancer neuroscience” based on the recognition of the participation of the nervous system in cancer growth and migration and in order to further investigate how the nervous system communicates with cancer. The innervated niche, also referred to as “perineural niche” or “neural regulation in TME” in some previous studies, was viewed as a specialized tumor microenvironment. It was characterized by close crosstalk among nerve, cancer cells, and non-malignant cells mediated by acellular components such as nerve-derived neurotransmitters or neuropeptides. Drug discovery targeting innervated niche may bring about a new therapeutic approach to anti-cancer therapy. The appeal of drug repurposing in cancer is increasing mainly for its cost-effectiveness and safety. The introduction of drug repurposing into targeting innervated niche may speed up pharmacological approaches in clinical practice and guide treatment choices.
Though the understanding of innervated niche in the tumor microenvironment was still at a beginning stage. The past several years did witness great progress in cancer neuroscience and innervated niche. For example, the activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) signaling pathway accelerated brain metastasis and led to a poor prognosis. Activation of ß-adrenergic signaling was associated with tumor growth, migration, and angiogenesis. Meanwhile, the usage of nonselective ß-blockers in ovarian cancer patients was correlated with prolonged overall survival. This research topic aims at creating a forum for recent progress in cancer neuroscience, including the composition of innervated niche, the crosstalk between the nervous system and cancer cells, and improvements in research techniques. It will also focus on the evaluation of the potential of the old drug in new use targeting innervated niche in cancer therapy.
In this research topic, we sincerely invite researchers working in this field to submit original research articles, clinical trial articles, meta-analyses, or reviews to enhance the understanding of cancer neuroscience and propose potential drug repurposing candidates targeting the innervated niche. The themes include but are not limited to, the following specific themes:
• The cellular or acellular components of the innervated niche
• Crosstalk between the nervous system and cancer
• Research techniques (e.g., bioinformatics, imaging, optogenetics, tumor cytobiology, molecular biology) in cancer neuroscience
• The effect of neurectomy in cancer patients
• The relationship between NMDAR signaling and cancer growth and metastasis
• Anti-cancer effect of ß-adrenergic antagonist
• Candidate for drug repurposing targeting innervated niche