Springer Cancer Stem Cell Resistance to Targeted Therapy: 19 (Resistance to Targeted Anti-Cancer Therapeutics, 19)

This book represents an up-dated summary of the state of the art of the characterization of cancer stem cell/ cancer initiating cell (CSC/CIC) properties. An overview of the definition and biological properties of CSCs/CICs as well as the role of these cells in determining the resistance to standard and immune-based therapies is provided. It also discusses limitations in the achievement of a definitive biological characterization of CSCs/CICs due to their high extent of plasticity and heterogeneity that is also mutually driven by the interaction of these cells with the tumor microenvironment. The limitations in targeting CSCs/CICs with immunotherapy are also explained together with explorative combination approaches that could increase the susceptibility of these cells to the recognition by immune cells. This book is conceived for a broad audience, including students, teachers, scientific experts. The critical revision of available results in terms of immunological profile of CSCs/CICs and the efficacy in targeting these cells by immunological approaches, results in a comprehensive and up to date recapitulation of the field and provides interesting suggestions on how to focus future investigations in order to assess the role of CSCs/CICs as prognostic and predictive biomarkers of responsiveness to therapies for cancer patients. From the Back Cover This book represents an updated summary of the state of the art of the characterization of cancer stem cell/cancer initiating cell (CSC/CIC) properties. Experts provide an overview of the definition and biological properties of CSCs/CICs as well as the role of these cells in determining the resistance to standard and immune-based therapies. It also discusses limitations in the achievement of a definitive biological characterization of CSCs/CICs due to their high extent of plasticity and heterogeneity that is also mutually driven by the interaction of these cells with the tumor microenvironment. The limitations in targeting CSCs/CICs with immunotherapy are also explained together with explorative combination approaches that could increase the susceptibility of these cells to the recognition by immune cells. This book is conceived for a broad audience, including students, teachers, scientific experts. The critical revision of available results in terms of immunological profile of CSCs/CICs and the efficacy in targeting these cells by immunological approaches, results in a comprehensive and up to date recapitulation of the field and provides interesting suggestions on how to focus future investigations in order to assess the role of CSCs/CICs as prognostic and predictive biomarkers of responsiveness to therapies for cancer patients. About the Author Dr. Cristina Maccalli is a Staff Scientist at the Division of Translational Medicine, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar. Dr. Maccalli obtained a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences and a Ph.D. in Applied Genetics at the University of Milan, Italy. Her research interest lies in the area of immunology, tumor immunology and immunotherapy, with main focus on the functional characterization of immune responses, cancer stem cells and on the identification of biomarkers predictive of patients’ clinical outcome and responsiveness to therapies. She carried out her post-doctoral research programs at the National Cancer Institute in Milan, Italy and, then, at the Surgery Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA. Most recently, Dr. Maccalli joined the Translational Medicine Department at Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar, where she is involved in development of innovative studies in the context of biomarker discovery and immunotherapy. Her principle project areas are 1. the generation of chimeric receptor engineered T cells to target hematological malignancies; 2. The molecular and functional characterization of cancer stem cells isolated from colorectal and breast cancer patients and 3. the identifica