Discovering the cellular diversity and coordinated cellular networks within TME. (IMAGE)
Caption
Single-cell studies have identified a series of critical cell subsets, including lymphocytes, myeloid cells, stromal cells, and nerve-related cells, within the tumor microenvironment (TME). These cells play critical synergistic or antagonistic roles in tumorigenesis and progression. In-depth elucidation of their heterogeneity can help overcome resistance to immunotherapy. b Coordinated cellular networks, such as immunity hubs (containing LAMP3⁺ DCs, TCF7⁺ T cells, and CCL19⁺ fibroblasts) and conserved cancer-associated cellular modules, function as integrated multicellular units within the TME. Their spatial organization strongly correlates with immunotherapy response, while tumor progression is characterized by the disintegration of healthy multicellular networks and the gain of aberrant, conserved modules. Modeling these ecosystem dynamics through an AI virtual tumor framework enables in silico hypothesis testing and network-informed therapeutic design.
Credit
Professor Zemin Zhang and Dr. Linnan Zhu from Peking University, China, and Chongqing Medical University, China Image source link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44466-026-00043-3
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