Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN)
The Tumor Microenvironment Network, or TMEN, was a program launched by the NCI in 2006 (RFA CA06-014) and reissued in 2010 (RFA CA10-021) that funded research in basic cancer biology to study the mechanisms of tumor-host interactions in human cancer.
Better understanding the mechanisms of a tumor’s interaction with its surrounding environment was achieved by:
- Generating a comprehensive understanding of stromal composition
- Understanding the role of stroma in normal tissues
- Discerning the role of stroma in tumor initiation, progression and metastases, as well as responses to treatment
About TMEN
The initiative funded 20 collaborative Center grants across the country and 10 collaborative U01 grants (funded through PAR-09-026 and PAR-11-146) that brought together a TMEN key investigator and scientists with expertise in other biological systems or organ sites not yet being modeled or studied within TMEN to form a new project in tumor microenvironment research.
TMEN was designed as an infrastructure that established repositories of critical reagents, resources, and information to promote and facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and progress in understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment. Through this initiative, DCB supported research that led to a more comprehensive understanding of the composition of the stroma in normal tissues and advanced the field by furthering scientific understanding regarding the mechanisms of tumor-stromal interactions in human cancer.
TMEN White Paper
At their annual meetings in 2015 and 2016, members of TMEN reviewed accomplishments of the network, identified challenges in the field, and shared future research opportunities. The summary from these discussions can be found in a Cancer Research article.
Past Projects
| Institution | Principal Investigator(s) | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | John Condeelis | Novel Methods for Detecting Cell Interactions in the Tumor Microenvironment |
| Columbia University Health Science | Timothy Wang | The Role of Inflammation and Stroma in Digestive Cancer |
| Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center | Eric Holland | Tumor Microenvironment Interactions in Brain Tumors |
| Stanford University | Michael Clarke | Molecular and Functional Characterization of Colon Tumor Cancer Stem Cells and Stroma |
| University of California – Lawrence Berkeley Lab | Mina Bissell | Bioengineering 3-D Models for Breast Cancer Therapy |
| University of Washington | Stephen Plymate | Significance of Microenvironment for Prostate Cancer Initiation and Progression |
| Vanderbilt University | Lynn Matrisian | Paracrine TGF-Beta Signaling in Tumor Initiation and Progression |
| Institution | Principal Investigator(s) | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | John Condeelis, Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, James Castracane, Patricia Keely, Vladislav Verkhusha |
Tumor microenvironments determing migration, dissemination and dormancy |
| Children's Hospital of Los Angeles | Yves Declerck | Center for Environment-Mediated Drug Resistance in Pediatric Cancer |
| Columbia University Health Science | Timothy Wang | Myofibroblasts in Gastrointestinal Cancers |
| Fred Hutchison Cancer Center | Eric Holland | Role of the Perivascular Microenvironment in Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Richard Hynes | Impact of Cellular and Extracellular Host Components on Tumor Progression |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Andrew Futreal, Keith Flaherty |
Role of Tumor Stroma in Therapeutic Response and Resistance |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Raghu Kalluri, David Scadden |
Stromal Regulation of Bone Metastasis |
| Oregon Health & Science University | Lisa Coussens, Matthew Krummel |
Leukocyte Biomarkers for Predicting Human Breast Cancer Outcomes |
| University of Michigan | Russell Taichman, Yusuke Shiozawa |
Mechanisms of Prostate Cancer Dormancy in the Bone Marrow Niche |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center | Surinder Batra | Pancreatic Tumor Micro-environment Network |
| University of California, San Francisco | Gabriele Bergers, Valerie Weaver |
Biophysical and molecular dialogue of glioma cells and the brain microenvironment |
| Institution | Principal Investigator(s) | Project Title |
|---|---|---|
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Kornelia Polyak, Mina Bissell, Jeffrey Pollard |
Myoepithelial cell differentiation defects in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) |
| Emory University | Dolores Hambardzumyan, Eric Holland |
Non-Neoplastic Cell Types Dictate Gliomagenesis and Response to Therapy |
| Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis | Theresa Guise, Neil Bhowmick |
Differential TGF-Beta Signaling in Bone Microenviroment: Impact on Tumor Growth |
| Johns Hopkins University | Kenneth Pienta, David Rowley |
Reactive Stroma and Tumor Associated Macrophages in Prostate Cancer Progression |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Susan Erdman, Timothy Wang |
GI Tract Dysbiosis and Breast Cancer |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center | Raghu Kalluri, Harold Moses, Valerie Weaver |
Role of Fibroblasts, Myeloid Cells and Matrix in PDAC |
| University of California Los Angeles | Owen Witte, Hong Wu, Peter Nelson |
Influences of the Microenvironment on Cancer Stem Cells |
| University of Pennsylvania | Anil Rustgi, Umar Mahmood, Timothy Wang |
Inflammation and the esophageal tumor microenvironment |
| Vanderbilt University | David Gorden, Harold Moses |
Molecular Determinants of Tumor Progression in A Steatolic Liver Microenvironment |
| Weill Medical College of Cornell University | David Lyden, Mina Bissell |
Characterization and Functional Analysis of Breast Cancer Secreted Exosomes in Malignant Progression |