OA Video Protocol from Matsui Lab

Isolation of Stem Cells from Human Pancreatic Cancer Xenografts by Zeshaan Rasheed, Qiuju Wang, William Matsui, J Vis Exp 2010(Sep 26);(43). pii: 2169. OA Video Protocol.

Diabetes drug metformin appears to target breast CSC

Diabetes Drug Metformin Shows Promise as a Breast Cancer Treatment, NCI Cancer Bulletin 2009(Sep 22); 6(18). First two paragraphs:

Low doses of the commonly used diabetes drug metformin may be an effective treatment for breast cancer, primarily because the drug appears to target breast cancer stem cells, Harvard Medical School researchers reported online September 14 in Cancer Research. Cancer stem cells, also called tumor-initiating cells, are thought to be relatively rare cells that can give rise to new tumors and are resistant to standard cancer treatments.

In the study, the combination of metformin and the chemotherapy agent doxorubicin was more effective than either drug alone at eliminating cancer cells and cancer stem cells in cultured cell lines of four genetically distinct breast cancer types, including HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers. In a breast cancer mouse model, the drug combination eliminated tumors and prevented regrowth, whereas doxorubicin alone only reduced tumor size and did not prevent regrowth, and metformin alone had little effect.

This bulletin is about the publication: Metformin Selectively Targets Cancer Stem Cells, and Acts Together with Chemotherapy to Block Tumor Growth and Prolong Remission by Heather A Hirsch, Dimitrios Iliopoulos, Philip N Tsichlis and Kevin Struhl, Cancer Res 2009(Sep 14) [Epub ahead of print][PubMed Citation].