https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/1156 2026-06-09T19:59:44Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60409 Title: Deciphering the Heterogeneity of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Prostate Cancer: From Stromal Biology to Clinical Translation Author(s): Truong, Ho Trong Tan; Kwon, Whi-An; Woo, Hyeong Jung; Kim, Minseok S.; Tran, Nhu Quang; Joung, Jae Young Abstract: Prostate cancer (PCa) progression and treatment resistance are driven by tumor-intrinsic mechanisms and adaptive remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, in which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role. Although CAF biology is increasingly recognized, a major translational gap remains: CAFs are highly heterogeneous, and comprise distinct functional states with divergent effects on disease progression, immune regulation, and therapeutic resistance. To bridge this gap, we synthesize evidence from single-cell and spatial transcriptomic studies, tissue-based pathology, liquid biopsy assays, and molecular imaging to construct an evidence-tiered, decision-oriented translational framework that connects stromal mechanisms, translational measurement strategies, and therapeutic interventions in PCa. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses have consistently identified multiple CAF programs, including matrix-remodeling, inflammatory, immunoregulatory, antigen-presenting, and therapy-imprinted states, each with distinct functional outputs and clinical correlates. Tissue-based readouts, including reactive stromal grade (RSG) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) immunohistochemistry, provide practical proxies for stromal activation and correlate with disease-specific mortality and imaging phenotypes. Circulating CAFs (cCAFs) represent an emerging liquid biopsy modality for longitudinal stromal monitoring, although technical standardization is required before clinical implementation. FAP-targeted PET imaging and emerging dual prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)/FAP-targeted theranostic strategies provide noninvasive tools for patient selection and response assessment, particularly in PSMA-discordant or tracer-heterogeneous disease. Androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapy can reprogram stromal states toward resistance-promoting circuits, highlighting the dynamic and plastic nature of the CAF compartment. A state-based CAF framework organizes stromal biology into testable translational hypotheses rather than immediate clinical standards. RSG and FAP-based tissue or imaging readouts are practical markers of stromal activation, whereas spatial CAF-immune signatures and cCAF assays remain investigational and require assay harmonization and prospective validation. Future trials should pre-specify stromal biomarkers as enrichment or pharmacodynamic variables when matched to the intervention and should avoid treating CAFs as a uniform therapeutic target. 2026-04-30T15:00:00Z https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60382 Title: 전자약의 스크리닝 장치 및 이를 이용한 스크리닝 방법 Author(s): 김운해; 김민석; 강현규 https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/60373 Title: 세포, 미세입자 동시 분리 장치 및 그 방법 Author(s): 김민석; 김종만; 이승준 Abstract: 미세유동장치가 개시된다. 본 미세유동장치는 생물학적 시료가 수용되며, 그 내부에서 원심력에 의하여 시료가 제1 표적 물질 및 비표적 물질을 포함하는 제1 유체층과, 복수의 제2 표적 물질을 포함하는 제2 유체층으로 분리되는 시료 챔버, 미세 입자를 수용하며, 시료 챔버로부터 제1 유체층을 전달받아 미세 입자와 비표적 물질이 결합된 결합체를 형성하며 밀도차에 의해 결합체와 제1 표적 물질을 분리시키는 제1 분리 모듈 및 시료 챔버로부터 제2 유체층을 전달받아 밀도차에 의해 복수의 제2 표적 물질을 분리시키는 제2 분리 모듈을 포함한다. https://scholar.dgist.ac.kr/handle/20.500.11750/59943 Title: CD45+hybrid circulating cells may reflect tumor-immune interactions and serve as transcriptomic indicators of metastatic potential in prostate cancer Author(s): Kim, Baek Gil; Jang, Yeonsue; Kim, Min Gyu; Song, Dongwook; Jung, Jungchan; Jung, Jihee; Yoo, Ayoung; Lee, Jongsoo; Cho, Nam Hoon; Woo, Hyeong Jung; Kim, Woon-Hae; Shin, Hyun Young; Kim, Minseok S.; Han, Hyun Ho; Joung, Jae Young Abstract: Rationale: Circulating hybrid cells expressing both epithelial and immune markers have emerged as indicators of dynamic tumor-immune interactions. This study aimed to characterize circulating hybrid cells co-expressing KRT18 (pan-cytokeratin) and PTPRC (CD45), termed KP_Pos, in metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa), and to assess their molecular features, tumor microenvironmental (TME) origins, and clinical relevance. Methods: Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) was used to examine spatial relationships between CK+tumor and CD45+ immune cells in metastatic prostate tissues. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets from mPCa were analyzed to identify KP_Pos cells and characterize their transcriptional heterogeneity across epithelial and immune lineages. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between KP_Pos and other cells were used to generate predictive gene signatures. Random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) models were applied to evaluate metastatic classification performance, and high-performing signatures were validated in bulk RNA-seq datasets and correlated with clinical parameters. Results: IMC revealed frequent spatial proximity between tumor and immune compartments, supporting a TME-derived hybrid phenotype. KP_Pos cells were detected across multiple immune and epithelial clusters, showing heterogeneity and enrichment of immune response and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes. Machine learning-based classifiers using KP_Pos-derived DEGs achieved high predictive accuracy (AUC >= 0.7) for metastasis, and selected combinations further improved performance in internal validation sets. Signature scores significantly correlated with PSA and Gleason grade, and CD45+ hybrid circulating cells were more abundant in patients with advanced disease burden. Conclusions: CD45+ KRT18+ hybrid circulating cells (KP_Pos) represent biologically distinct populations shaped by tumor-immune interactions within the TME. Their transcriptomic features and derived gene signatures may serve as biomarkers of metastatic potential and indicators of disease progression in prostate cancer. However, their causal role in metastasis and impact on survival remain to be determined. 2025-12-31T15:00:00Z