Checkpoints and ncRNA

Dear Colleagues,

Non-Coding RNA is now accepting submissions for a Special Issue on checkpoints and miRNA. This Special Issue is Guest-Edited by Prof. George A. Calin from the Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Houston, Texas, USA. Accepted papers will be published online immediately after copy editing. Non-Coding RNA is an open access journal. There are no Article Processing Charges (APCs) for papers submitted to the journal in 2017.

The immune system plays a major role in preventing tumor progression and development. Aberrant expression of immune checkpoint molecules within the tumor microenvironment (activating or inhibiting T lymphocytes) translates in tumor immune tolerance. Targeting immune checkpoint molecules is a major advance in cancer treatment.

microRNAs (miRNA) level modulation is another way to therapeutically influence the tumor microenvironment. These miRNA that shuttle between malignant cells and tumor environment have characteristics that make them ideal molecules for use in cancer therapy, such as tumor specific expression, and early regulation of immune response.

Many miRNAs and other longer non-codingRNAs (ncRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in human cancer cells, but their exact function and how they interact with immune checkpoint molecules remain still unclear.

This Special Issue will focus on findings about miRNAs and other longer non-coding RNAs as modulators of immune checkpoint molecules and their potential application as cancer therapeutics. We will consider original manuscripts, as well as reviews. Topics of interest include:

• tumor microenvironment and short and long ncRNA
• ncRNAs regulation of checkpoints
• immune checkpoint molecules regulation by miRNAs
• cancer therapeutics by checkpoint inhibitors and miRNAs biomarkers
• animal models for immune cells—malignant interaction and ncRNAs

Prof. George A. Calin
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. Non-Coding RNA 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 1800 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.

• tumor microenvironment
• miRNA
• immune checkpoint
• cancer therapy