DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD TO IDENTIFY CANCER STEM CELLS IN SOLID TUMORS

Abstract

Recently, there has been an abundance of research on the presences of stem cells in solid tumors. Cancer stem cells are characterized as those cells capable of regenerating a tumor (1-3). Not all tumor cells have this ability. These cancer stem cells make up only a small fraction of the tumor, but are resistant to chemotherapies and radiation treatments (2). These cells may also lead to metastases to other locations (3). We propose to develop a method to identify the cancer stem cells in solid tumor biopsies. This will enable researchers to study the arrangement of the stem cells within the tumor and their interactions with the surrounding cells. If this method is adapted to the clinical arena, knowing the number of stem cells in a solid tumor could lead to better treatment selections and higher patient survival rates.