Video from Stanford about CSC

Cancer Stem Cells: The Origin of Cancer. Video (Runtime: 00:48:26) produced by Stanford University Medical Center, February 11, 2009. Description:

Irving Weissman, professor of developmental biology at Stanford University Medical Center, addresses what cancer stem cells are, how they maintain themselves and why they may be resistant to some current treatments. Weissman also talks about the "don't eat me" signal and how it relates to the growth of certain types of cancer cells. Find out how Stanford scientists and clinicians are working to identifying cancer stem cells in many types of tumors and how they have used that information to develop new therapeutic strategies.

Comment: Captions are available for this video. If viewed using QuickTime, the captions will be visible when the video is launched. (Unfortunately, the captions haven't been copyedited by the speaker, and contain some errors).

On recent articles from Stanford about CSC

1) Leukemia Stem Cells Have More In Common With Embryonic Stem Cells Than Adult Stem Cells, ScienceDaily, February 5, 2009. First sentence:

Research using a mouse model of human leukemia has provided critical insight into the genetic factors related to the generation and maintenance of myeloid leukemia stem cells.

Cell find 'lifts leukaemia fight', BBC News, February 6, 2009. Leading sentence:

Research which sheds light on how blood cancer cells work may improve the power of leukaemia treatments.

Research which sheds light on how blood cancer cells work may improve the power of leukaemia treatments, Euro News 24, February 6, 2009.

These news items are about this article: Hierarchical maintenance of MLL myeloid leukemia stem cells employs a transcriptional program shared with embryonic rather than adult stem cells by Tim C P Somervaille and 9 co-authors, including Michael L Cleary, Cell Stem Cell 2009(Feb 6); 4(2): 129-40 [PubMed Citation][Full text].

Preview: The MLLgnant Consequences of Reverting to an Embryonic Transcriptional Program by Catriona Jamieson, Cell Stem Cell 2009(Feb 6); 4(2): 97-8 [Full text]. Leading sentence:

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Somervaille etal., 2009 have demonstrated convincingly that reversion to an embryonic transcriptional program through defective MLL gene expression contributes to the generation of myeloid leukemia stem cells.

2) Source of cancer stem cells' resistance to radiation discovered at Stanford by Krista Conger, News Release, Stanford School of Medicine, February 4, 2009. [Includes a 4-minute video]. First paragraph:

Much to the dismay of patients and physicians, cancer stem cells — tiny powerhouses that generate and maintain tumor growth in many types of cancers — are relatively resistant to the ionizing radiation often used as therapy for these conditions. Part of the reason, say researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, is the presence of a protective pathway meant to shield normal stem cells from DNA damage. When the researchers blocked this pathway, the cells became more susceptible to radiation.

Breakthrough Made On Cancer Stem Cell Source, CBS Broadcasting, February 5, 2009. (Also includes a video).

How breast cancer resists treatment, Monya Baker, Nature Reports Stem Cells, 5 February 2009.

These news items are are about this article: Association of reactive oxygen species levels and radioresistance in cancer stem cells by Maximilian Diehn, Robert W Cho and 21 co-authors, including J Martin Brown, Irving L Weissman and Michael F Clarke, Nature 2009(Feb 4) [Epub ahead of print][PubMed Citation].

Added February 24, 2009: Cancer stem cells: Survival skills by Sarah Seton-Rogers, Nature Reviews Cancer 2009(Mar); 9: 147.

Added May 19, 2009: See also: Source of cancer stem cells’ resistance to radiation discovered at Stanford, posted by Stem Man to "Latest Stem Cell News" on 19 May 2009. The post also provides access to another video that was posted to YouTube on February 12, 2009.

3) Cancer stem cell-directed therapies: recent data from the laboratory and clinic by Christopher Y Park, Diane Tseng, Irving L Weissman, Mol Ther 2009(Feb); 17(2): 219-30 [Epub 2008(Dec 9)][PubMed Citation][Full text]. First paragraph from the Final Words section of the full text:

Although CSCs have been identified in numerous human cancers, whether or not CSC-directed therapies will ultimately lead to cures remains an open question. Although this issue will, no doubt, be the focus of investigations for years to come, the studies described herein indicate that CSCs are likely to fulfill several of the predictions of the CSC hypothesis: (i) that CSCs are relative resistant to conventional therapies and (ii) that clinical outcomes will correlate with measurable CSC parameters including frequency, localization, and gene signatures. Based on these observations, we think CSC-directed therapies show great promise for improving clinical outcomes, but it will be important for researchers to verify these properties for CSCs in each tumor type since they likely will not be uniform with respect to their biologic properties, consistent with their heterogeneous molecular origins.

Stanford center for stem cell research

Lokey gives $75 million to create nation's largest stem cell research center at Stanford by Ruthann Richter (News Release, Office of Communication & Public Affairs, Stanford University Medical Center, October 6, 2008). Excerpts:

Lorry I. Lokey, the Business Wire founder and philanthropist, is giving $75 million to the Stanford University School of Medicine to help build what is expected to be the nation’s largest center for stem cell research, the medical school announced Oct. 6.

.....

His contribution will help build a new home for the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute, one of five major research institutes based in the medical school. Institute scientists are involved in the full array of stem cell research, including studies in both embryonic and adult cells, as well as work in cancer stem cells and in the development of disease-specific stem cell lines.

.....

“Scientists in the fields of stem cell and cancer research are on the brink of new discoveries that may soon affect the understanding and treatment of disease,” said Irving Weissman, MD, the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Clinical Investigation in Cancer Research and director of Stanford’s stem cell institute. “With this magnificent lead gift from Lorry Lokey, Stanford will have the facilities to lead those efforts.”

Weissman, who was the first to isolate stem cells in both mice and humans, said the availability of new space will attract key faculty to Stanford and spur collaborations with scientists from the around the world. The new center will include 60 laboratory benches for scientists who will visit Stanford for a month or a year at a time. Lokey said the prospect of bringing top research talent to Stanford is far more meaningful to him than any worldly goods his money could buy.

“I don’t want airplanes and boats and country club memberships,” he said. “I believe that if you fall into a lot of money like I did, you put it into the soil—you replenish the soil for next year’s crop.”

Found via MarketWatch, Oct 06, 2008.