Advances in Integrins in Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

The integrin family of cell surface receptors mediate cell–extracellular matrix interactions in the vast majority of human cell types. Given their fundamental roles in normal development and healing, it is unsurprising that integrins also play significant roles in the development and progression of many types of cancer. Changes in integrin expression are common in cancers, allowing cells to migrate away from the original tumor site, establish metastases in specific organs, evade immune surveillance, and contribute to resistance to chemo-, radio-, and targeted therapy.

Both the up- and downregulation of specific integrins have been identified as prognostic biomarkers in different cancers. Integrins upregulated in cancers and angiogenesis have also been identified as therapeutic targets. However, the complexity of integrin functions, the redundancy of individual integrins within a subfamily, and the ability of cells to change their integrin expression in response to their surroundings have made the development of clinical anticancer therapeutics challenging. Focusing on less-investigated integrins in the β1 and αv subfamilies, as well as on new agonist and antagonist molecules, is likely to yield diagnostic or therapeutic breakthroughs in the future.

This Special Issue will highlight recent progress in understanding the contributions of integrins to tumor biology, in addition to new technologies that target integrins in tumors and the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Helen M. Sheldrake
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.