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Updated: May 28, 2026

In Vitro Assay to Study Tumor-macrophage Interaction
Published on: August 1, 2019
Macrophages in cancer and infectious diseases: the 'good' and the 'bad'
Chiara Porta1, Elena Riboldi, Maria Grazia Totaro
1DiSCAFF, University of Piemonte Orientale A. Avogadro, Novara, Italy.
Abstract:
Macrophages are crucial orchestrators of host defence and tissue homeostasis. Macrophages are heterogeneous and plastic cells that in response to different microenvironmental signals can mount a broad spectrum of different programs of polarized activation. In different pathological contexts including cancer and infectious diseases, macrophages diversity and plasticity may act as a double-edged sword. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying macrophages recruitment and functional activation allows the identification of valuable targets for the development of innovative therapeutic approaches.
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