Huan Ren

Harbin Medical University China

Huan Ren, born in 1967, currently works as a professor in Immunology. She obtained her PhD at University of Liverpool, School of Medicine, Dept of Neuroscience, England. She obtained her master degree in Dept of Immunology, Harbin Medical University in 1997. She established her research group in 2007 at Harbin Medical University, China. Her research mainly focuses on understanding the key events and mechanisms of cancer development and progression, especially the dynamic interaction between tumor cells and their microenvironment, recognizing tumor biomarkers for early diagnosis and relapse, and defining novel therapeutic strategies for patients with malignant tumors. She is a PI for a few funding of National Science Foundation of China. Dr. Ren\'s researches have been published in many scientific journals.

1books edited

2chapters authored

Latest work with IntechOpen by Huan Ren

Protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) deregulation contributes to growth of cancer and many other diseases. The development of small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target the deregulated PTKs, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Bcr-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), has revolutionized disease management. In this book, we examine a few aspects of PTKs and cancer, considering efficacy, predictive markers to therapeutic response, limitations, and future directions in TKI treatment. In this rapidly evolving field, overcoming therapeutic resistance is most challenging, and multi-targeting directs the next-generation TKIs and combination therapy as ongoing strategies in cancer treatment.

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Tyrosine Kinases as Druggable Targets in Cancer

Edited by Huan Ren

Chapters authored

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Interaction with the Tumor Microenvironment in Malignant Progression of Human Glioblastoma

By Yujiao Gong, Yucui Dong, Jingru Cui, Quanye Sun, Ziqi Zhen, Yifan Gao, Jun Su and Huan Ren

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor, characterized with a rapid progression and poor prognosis despite modern therapies. Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is a membrane tyrosine kinase that could be activated by binding ligands with the extracellular domain, and communicating signals according to the tyrosine kinase activity of the intracellular domain. Recent studies revealed that RTKs such as EGFR, PDGFR and MET play key roles in cancer progression through regulation of abundant cellular processes. As transmembrane proteins, RTKs work as a mediator between the extracellular environment and intracellular compartments, translating the tumor microenvironment (TME) signals into the tumor cells. TME is also a critical regulator for the malignant process, lately receiving considerable attention. It is composed of extracellular matrix (ECM), the stromal cells (i.e., endothelial cells, microglia and fibroblasts), secreted factors, and hypoxia environment, etc. Among these, the strong invasion and sustained angiogenesis of GBM are closely related to ECM-receptor interaction and -associated signaling events. In this chapter, we consider the interaction and mechanisms of RTKs and TME in GBM progression, especially the role of ECM-receptor mediated signaling in tumor invasion, hypoxia and angiogenesis, glioma stem cells and tumor metabolism. We then summarize and discuss recent improvements on the approaches of targeting RTK and TME as the therapy in the primary GBM.

Part of the book: Glioma

Introductory Chapter: Tyrosine Kinases as Drug Targets in Cancer Treatment

By Huan Ren

Part of the book: Tyrosine Kinases as Druggable Targets in Cancer

Huan Ren

Latest work with IntechOpen by Huan Ren

Tyrosine Kinases as Druggable Targets in Cancer

Chapters authored

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