Tumor Associated Fibroblasts
Tumor Associated Fibroblasts - Related Videos
15:43
Experimental Generation of Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) from Human Mammary Fibroblasts
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Cited by 25 •
2011
Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) rich in myofibroblasts present within the tumour stroma, play a major role in driving tumour progression. We developed a coimplantation tumour xengraft model for experimentally generating CAFs from human mammary fibroblasts. The protocol describes how to establish CAF myofibroblasts that acquire an ability to promote tumourigenesis.
10:33
Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts
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Cited by 2 •
2014
Molecular profiling of laser microdissected cells and stroma from synthetic, tissue-engineered colorectal cancer models represents a novel and manipulatable approach to characterize and dissect the distinctive biology at the interface between tumor cells at the invasive front and cancer associated stromal cells.
09:43
Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Prostate Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts
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Cited by 1 •
2025
This protocol provides a comprehensive procedure to isolate, expand, and immortalize fibroblasts from radical prostatectomies. Moreover, it describes assays developed to assess the functional effects of fibroblast-tumor cell crosstalk, taking advantage of both treatment with conditioned medium and co-culturing.
07:31
Establishment of Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Tumor Organoids and Fibroblasts From Fresh Tissue
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Cited by 5 •
2023
Tumor organoids have revolutionized cancer research and the approach to personalized medicine. They represent a clinically relevant tumor model that allows researchers to stay one step ahead of the tumor in the clinic. This protocol establishes tumor organoids from fresh pancreatic tumor tissue samples and patient-derived xenografts of pancreatic adenocarcinoma origin.
06:35
A Mouse Model to Investigate the Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Tumor Growth
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Cited by 5 •
2020
A protocol to co-inject cancer cells and fibroblasts and monitor tumor growth over time is provided. This protocol can be used to understand the molecular basis for the role of fibroblasts as regulators of tumor growth.
FAQs
By changing the extracellular matrix, Tumor Associated Fibroblasts can alter the organization of tissue surrounding a tumor and influence how cancer cells behave within it. These structural changes may support local invasion and contribute to metastatic spread. Examining matrix remodeling therefore connects stromal activity with the physical organization of tumors and with disease progression.
TAFs release cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, each of which can modify communication among stromal, cancer, immune, and vascular cells. Together, these signals may change tumor-cell behavior, promote blood-vessel formation, and suppress antitumor immune responses. Studying the signals as a network is important because their combined effects can reshape the tumor microenvironment rather than acting through one isolated pathway.
Determining the cellular origins of Tumor Associated Fibroblasts can clarify how activated stromal populations arise within tumors and why they acquire tumor-supportive activities. Origin-focused studies may help relate particular fibroblast populations to extracellular-matrix remodeling, signaling, immune suppression, or treatment response. This information is also relevant when designing interventions that disrupt harmful stromal functions without impairing normal tissue repair.
A useful investigation can examine three connected features: the cellular origins of TAFs, the molecular signals they produce, and their interactions with cancer and immune cells. Researchers can then relate these features to tissue organization, blood-vessel formation, invasion, metastasis, and treatment response. This integrated approach places fibroblast behavior within the wider biology of the tumor microenvironment.
TAF-directed strategies may be considered when tumor-supportive stroma contributes to invasion, metastasis, immune suppression, or resistance to treatment. The therapeutic goal is not simply to remove fibroblast activity, because fibroblasts also perform functions needed for normal tissue repair. Effective approaches therefore seek to disrupt harmful stromal support while preserving beneficial repair-related functions.
Studying TAFs can help explain why tumors respond differently to treatment and how the surrounding stroma contributes to therapeutic resistance. Analyses of their signals and interactions may connect fibroblast activity with cancer-cell behavior, immune suppression, tissue organization, and blood-vessel formation. These findings can guide research into treatments that address both tumor cells and the supportive microenvironment.