Cellular Plasticity in Cancer: Mechanisms, Measurement and Therapeutic Opportunities
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 26
Special Issue Editor
Interests: breast cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will bring together original research, reviews, and perspectives investigating how cellular plasticity shapes tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance across cancer types. Cellular plasticity—the capacity of cancer cells to alternate between differentiated and stem-like states—has emerged as a defining feature of neoplastic malignancy. These transitions allow tumor cells to adapt to stress, evade immune pressure, and survive treatment. However, major questions remain unanswered: What molecular cues initiate these transitions? Are they reversible or directional? Which states confer metastatic potential or drug tolerance, and how can they be predicted or therapeutically targeted?
Through mechanistic, single-cell, functional genomic, and computational studies, this Special Issue collection seeks to clarify how lineage plasticity, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) programs, stem-like persistence, and therapy-induced reprogramming intersect to promote malignant adaptability. The combined insights will form a conceptual and practical blueprint for predicting, measuring, and intervening in tumor plasticity across diverse solid tumors.
Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following research areas:
- Molecular and signaling determinants of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET), and lineage infidelity.
- Therapy-induced reprogramming and drug-tolerant persisters: mechanisms of emergence, timing, reversibility, and strategies for pharmacologic or genetic intervention.
- Cross-cancer comparisons, including lineage switching in prostate cancer and small-cell transformation in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma.
- Single-cell and spatial multi-omics approaches for mapping cell-state diversity, plasticity, and microenvironmental control.
- Metabolic and mechanical rewiring underlying adaptive state changes and metastatic competence.
- Computational and modeling frameworks that predict or quantify cellular transitions and identify actionable biomarkers.
- Translational and clinical studies linking plasticity to patient outcomes, residual disease, and mechanisms of resistance.
Dr. Costa Frangou
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cellular plasticity
- cancer progression
- EMT/MET
- lineage infidelity
- therapy-induced reprogramming
- stem-like states
- single-cell analysis
- spatial transcriptomics
- lineage tracing
- computational modeling
- biomarkers
- therapeutic re-sistance
- metastasis
- solid tumors
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