State-of-the-Art Insights into the Cell Microenvironment
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 60
Special Issue Editor
2. Laboratory of Cancer Stem Cell Engineering, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
3. Division of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University, Shebin El Koum, Menoufia, Egypt
Interests: cancer initiation and metastasis; cancer stem cells; tumor microenvironment
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The microenvironment surrounding normal cells, including stem cells, plays a crucial role in determining cell fate and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Any disruption in this microenvironment can lead to significant imbalances, ultimately contributing to disease, including cancer. In stem cells, this specialized environment—known as the stem cell niche—must remain tightly regulated. Any deviations can result in an abnormal niche, leading to cellular changes that drive tumor initiation and progression. This complex microenvironment consists of immune, inflammatory, and stromal cells, as well as secreted proteins, small molecules, the extracellular matrix, and blood vessels, all of which interact with and influence tumor growth, metastasis, and therapy resistance.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in understanding the microenvironment in both normal and cancerous conditions, providing insights into how disruptions contribute to disease progression. Exploring the mechanisms governing these interactions is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies.
We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews on various aspects of the tumor microenvironment.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following research areas:
- Stem cells and the microenvironment;
- Cancer stem cell initiation;
- Metabolic adaptations within the tumor microenvironment;
- Mechanisms of therapeutic resistance driven by the microenvironment;
- Targeting the tumor microenvironment;
- Organoid and 3D culture models for studying the cell microenvironment.
We encourage submissions that provide novel insights into cell microenvironment. Thank you for joining us on this exciting journey of discovery. We look forward to presenting the outstanding contributions in the Special Issue: “State-of-the-Art Insights into the Cell Microenvironment”.
Dr. Said M. Afify
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 short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Cells 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 2700 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.
Keywords
- cell microenvironment
- stem cells
- organoid and 3D culture models
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