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Purpose

The key impetus for this Workshop is that research aimed at understanding stromal mutations at different stages of tumor evolution – from initiation to metastasis and treatment resistance – lags severely behind that of traditional cancer cell mutations. Notably, strategies on characterizing the stromal elements – within the mutation-signaling continuum – that are contributing to these various stages of tumorigenesis remain understudied, despite published (yet historical and anecdotal) evidence in support of this notion. Studies on “stromal effects” are often limited to measuring and/or testing for short term/acute biological and biochemical reprogramming and remodeling events linked to stromal cell state(s), stromal landscape/fibrosis, and immune/inflammatory responses. Missing from the analyses is the longer-term implications and ramifications of stromal cell mutational status – be it somatic or germline and/or nuclear or mitochondrial. With the recent technological advances in single-cell technologies, multiparameter imaging, and ability to integrate multi-omics with spatial TME context, the cancer research field is now well positioned to interrogate and detect stroma cell mutation(s) as an added – but missing – layer of cancer predispositions, and dynamic complexities.

Consequently, the purpose of this Workshop is to bring together a community of tumor-stromal biologists and technology experts to:

1. Discuss the state of the science;

2. Evaluate the technological advancements facilitating scientific progress, along with challenges and limitations; and

3. Reach a consensus on key priorities in the field of stromal cell states with an emphasis on pro-tumoral (or tumor suppressive) stroma function driving mutations across the nuclear-mitochondrial genomes.

Agenda

All times are in EDT.