[extropy-chat] Stem cells may be core cause of cancers

[Robert Bradbury]

The Globe and Mail [1], based on Nature articles [2,3,4] has a long
discussion about how it is looking more and more like stem cells (or at
least cells that behave like stem cells) may be at the core of many, perhaps
even most cancers.  The net of it is that if this proves to be true then
treating cancer is going to require a bit of a rewrite from a therapy
standpoint.

Now, the flip side of the coin is that scientists seem to be getting a
handle on true dedifferentation by converting mature astrocytes *back* into
neuronal stem cells [5].

Robert

1.Stem cells core of more cancers
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061120.wxcancerstemcells20/BNStory/cancer/home/?pageRequested=all
2. A human colon cancer cell capable of initiating tumour growth in
immunodeficient mice.  O'Brien CA et al
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05372.html
3. Identification and expansion of human colon-cancer-initiating cells.
Ricci-Vitiani L et al
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05384.html
4. Glioma stem cells promote radioresistance by preferential activation of
the DNA damage response.  Bao S et al
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature05236.html
5. Transforming growth factor alpha promotes sequential conversion of mature
astrocytes into neural progenitors and stem cells. Sharif A et al
http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/1210071a.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20061121/cfae6acf/attachment.html>