Cancer stem cell discovery

[Bosonic]

(Medical Xpress) -- A Cardiff team has identified a weakness in breast cancer stem cells which could help prevent the disease from spreading. The team has found a laboratory method to switch off breast cancer stem cells’ resistance to a particular drug. The breakthrough offers the long-term possibility of blocking the cells from creating new tumours in patients.

The finding also highlights Cardiff’s strength in the increasingly important field of cancer stem cell research, having created the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute. This new discovery underlines just how critical cancer stem cells are in the spread and re-appearance of the disease.

Cancer stem cells make up only a small proportion of the cells in a tumour but many scientists now believe they are responsible for cancer growth, spread and relapse. They are also known to be highly drug-resistant. However, the Cardiff team, based at the School of Biosciences, has now managed to make breast cancer stem cells sensitive to the anti-cancer agent TRAIL.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-cancer-stem-cell-discovery.html

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[aSpeckofDust]

2. I've found a picture of the team.

heh.. but great stuff though.