Systems Biology of Tumor Physiology: Rethinking the Past, Defining the Future PDF
Preview Systems Biology of Tumor Physiology: Rethinking the Past, Defining the Future
SPRINGER BRIEFS IN CANCER RESEARCH David H. Nguyen Systems Biology of Tumor Physiology Rethinking the Past, Defi ning the Future 123 SpringerBriefs in Cancer Research More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/10786 David H. Nguyen Systems Biology of Tumor Physiology Rethinking the Past, Defi ning the Future David H. Nguyen Biological Systems & Engineering Division Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Berkeley, CA, USA SpringerBriefs in Cancer Research ISBN 978-3-319-25599-6 ISBN 978-3-319-25601-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-25601-6 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015956773 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 T his work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. T he use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. T he publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper S pringer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) This book is dedicated to my friend Caryn Mah, without whose encouragement and support this book would have taken much longer to complete. Thank you for all the stimulating conversations about radiologic imaging and for teaching me that daffodils were not meant to be studied under microscopes, but that they were meant to be planted, tended to, and delighted over. This book is also dedicated to all the research technicians, research associates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, scientists, and principal investigators who have contributed to my understanding of mouse models in cancer research. Abstract S ystems biology can be defi ned as the study of how multiple interacting parts of a living system affect each other. A tumor is a system of cells that is imbedded in a larger system of organs, otherwise known as the human body. This book attempts three things from the systems biology perspective. The fi rst chapter lays out testable reasons why estro- gens and macrophages may be mechanisms behind why a lifelong exposure to estrogen increases breast cancer risk. The second chapter clarifi es confusion between the cellular plasticity and cell-of-origin hypothesis in describing how tumors arise and how tumors sustain themselves. The third chapter describes common misuses of mouse models of cancer and how a systems biology perspective can extract so much more useful informa- tion from mouse models of cancer. vii Pref ace S ystems biology can be defi ned as the study of how multiple interacting parts of a living system affect each other. A tumor is a system of cells that is imbedded in a larger system of organs, otherwise known as the human body. This book attempts three things from the systems biology perspective. The fi rst chapter lays out testable reasons why estrogens and macrophages may be mechanisms behind why a lifelong exposure to estrogen increases breast cancer risk. The second chapter clarifi es con- fusion between the cellular plasticity and cell-of-origin hypothesis in describing how tumors arise and how tumors sustain themselves. The third chapter describes common misuses of mouse models of cancer and how a systems biology perspec- tive can extract so much more useful information from mouse models of cancer. T he primary purpose of this book is to provide insightful knowledge and testable predictions for researchers and students within cancer biology. The secondary goal is to provide training material for those who are new to the fi eld of cancer biology. The fi rst chapter will be very informative for researchers who study breast cancer risk and biological mechanisms of that risk. It will also be very useful to researchers who study cellular or molecular aspects of breast cancer and who want to better understand how global physiological mechanisms of normal mammary develop- ment and function affect their question of interest. The second chapter provides an example of how to assess two competing theories of tumor development. The third chapter provides concise, insightful guidelines that will bring newcomers to the topic of mouse models of cancer up to speed regarding common pitfalls and ways around them. It will also help veterans of mouse models of cancer to better make sense of their data: past, present, and future. Berkeley, CA, USA David H. Nguyen ix
The list of books you might like
