Exploratory mapping of tumor associated macrophage nanoparticle article abstracts using an eLDA topic modeling...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nanotechnology
• Immunology

Background:

• Macrophages regulate the tumor microenvironment, driving nanoparticle targeting research.
• The rapid growth of literature makes it challenging to stay current with nanoparticle strategies for tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform a topic modeling analysis of 854 nanoparticle targeting abstracts in solid tumors.
• To identify common usages, trends, and emerging themes in TAM-targeting nanoparticle literature over 20 years.
• To develop a method for creating a living review of this field.

Main Methods:

• Topic modeling analysis of 854 peer-reviewed literature abstracts.
• Analysis spanned 20 years of research on nanoparticle targeting of TAMs in solid tumors.
• The model was validated for assigning new papers to existing topics.

Main Results:

• Identified six distinct topics: Immune and TAMs, Nanoparticles, Imaging, Gene Delivery and Exosomes, Vaccines, and Multi-modal Therapies.
• Revealed distinct trends in nanoparticle usage, tumor types, and therapeutic applications across topics.
• Demonstrated the potential for topic modeling to create a living review for ongoing literature assessment.

Conclusions:

• Topic modeling provides a valuable "birds-eye-view" of nanoparticle targeting strategies for TAMs.
• This approach facilitates the exploration of new and emerging themes in a large and rapidly growing scientific field.
• The developed method can support continuous literature review and knowledge synthesis.