Host Cell Interaction and Response to the Cancer Cell

Organizer(s): David A. Cheresh and Nicholas P. Restifo

Supported by the Director's Fund

Summary of Meeting:

Tumor growth and invasion depends on the ability of tumor cells to respond to a wide range of host cells. However, it is clear that host cells also respond to the presence of the tumor. In fact it is the outcome of these cellular interactions that may well predict the clinical course of a wide variety of cancers. During growth at the primary site, tumor cells interact locally with fibroblasts and their extracellular matrix. Tumors often produce an inflammatory response causing immune cell recruitment to the tumor; the ability of a tumor cell to evade this immune recognition is a critical determinant of the tumor’s capacity to spread. Tumor cell invasion and metastasis also depend on the ability of tumor cells to recruit a blood supply to nourish the tumor. The resulting blood vessels often serve as a conduit for metastasis. While in the circulation, interactions between tumor cells and platelets can further facilitate tumor metastasis. Ultimately, tumors respond to a variety of cells and microenvironments in a wide range of organs including the lymph node, lung, liver, brain, and bone. Given the critical role of tumor cell-host cell interactions in tumor growth and metatasis as well as the therapeutic potential offered by intervening in these interactions, developing a better understanding of the molecular basis for these cellular interactions is imperative. In addition, it is critical to determine how these cell-cell interactions directly influence the cancer cell and its gene expression, proliferation rate, and capacity to evade recognition by host immune cells. The goal of this meeting is to bring together experts in areas such as tumor immunology, angiogenesis and tumor cell biology to begin to define the host cellular response to the tumor and to identify new molecular pathways leading to a better understanding of tumor invasion and metastasis.

Scholarship Deadline: September 21 2006

Discounted Abstract Deadline: September 21 2006

Abstract Deadline: October 24 2006

Discounted Registration Deadline: November 21 2006

We gratefully acknowledge additional support for this conference from:

We gratefully acknowledge additional in-kind support for this conference from those foregoing speaker expense reimbursements:

Genentech, Inc.

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Special thanks to the following for their support of Keystone Symposia initiatives to increase participation at this meeting by scientists from underrepresented backgrounds:

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