title: Cancer-associated fibroblasts as target and tool in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics.
abstract: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are drivers of tumour progression and are considered as a target and a tool in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applications. An increased abundance of CAFs or CAF signatures are recognized as a bad prognostic marker in several cancer types. Tumour-environment biomimetics strongly improve our understanding of the communication between CAFs, cancer cells and other host cells. Several experimental drugs targeting CAFs are in clinical trials for multiple tumour entities; alternatively, CAFs can be exploited as a tool to characterize the functionality of circulating tumour cells or to capture them as a tool to prevent metastasis. The continuous interaction between tissue engineers, biomaterial experts and cancer researchers creates the possibility to biomimic the tumour-environment and provides new opportunities in cancer diagnostics and management.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Radiation Oncology and Experimental Cancer Research, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Vlieghere
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verset
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Demetter
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Radiation Oncology and Experimental Cancer Research, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bracke
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Radiation Oncology and Experimental Cancer Research, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. olivier.dewever@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: De Wever
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D032701:Biomimetics; D002450:Cell Communication; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
chemical_list: C541116:ACTA2 protein, human; D000199:Actins
keywords: Biomimetics; CAFs; Diagnostics; Therapy; Tumour-environment