Tackling the cancer stem cells — what challenges do they pose?
Name
nihms637610.pdf
Size
1.78 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
97f93eb9920f0b2200f0ec219d64c673
Author(s)
Pattabiraman, Diwakar R.
Weinberg, Robert A
Date Issued
July 2014
Journal
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Pattabiraman, Diwakar R. and Robert A. Weinberg. “Tackling the Cancer Stem Cells — What Challenges Do They Pose?” Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 13, 7 (July 2014): 497–512 © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Since their identification in 1994, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been objects of intensive study. Their properties and mechanisms of formation have become a major focus of current cancer research, in part because of their enhanced ability to initiate and drive tumour growth and their intrinsic resistance to conventional therapeutics. The discovery that activation of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) programme in carcinoma cells can give rise to cells with stem-like properties has provided one possible mechanism explaining how CSCs arise and presents a possible avenue for their therapeutic manipulation. Here we address recent developments in CSC research, focusing on carcinomas that are able to undergo EMT. We discuss the signalling pathways that create these cells, cell-intrinsic mechanisms that could be exploited for selective elimination or induction of their differentiation, and the role of the tumour microenvironment in sustaining them. Finally, we propose ways to use our current knowledge of the complex biology of CSCs to design novel therapies to eliminate them.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/NRD4253
