From dusk till dawn: Tumor regulation of myeloid circadian patterns

Circadian rhythms strongly influence our physiology, including the way our immune system responds to pathogens and other inflammatory stimuli. Chronic conditions like cancer change the inherent circadian pattern of immune cell functionality. Notably, cells within the myeloid compartment of the immune system strongly influence cancer progression; however, the ability of myeloid cells to achieve this is dependent on the time of day. We have discovered that cancer is more likely to spread during periods of rest, coinciding with a surge in myeloid cell activity. Moreover, we have discovered an inverse relationship between myeloid and lymphoid compartments within tumours, suggesting that immunotherapies targeting these compartments should be tailored to specific and coordinated administration times. Our research will focus on (1) how tumours shape myeloid cell circadian patterns, (2) the consequences of these changes of cancer progression, and (3) how to leverage time-controlled combinatorial immunotherapies to mitigate cancer progression. Our research will take advantage of dynamic immune responses by developing and refining chronotherapies for cancer.