| In late 2009, a multi-institutional team of researchers | | | | emerging idea in cancer biology that tumors can |
| from the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard | | | | harbor a group of cells within them that have a |
| discovered an exciting new chemical that specifically | | | | unique ability to regenerate cancers, which in addition |
| targets aggressive cells within breast cancers that | | | | to promoting the growth of tumors are also |
| normally have the ability to seed new tumors; these | | | | extremely resistant to current cancer therapies. By |
| cells are otherwise known as cancer stem cells. The | | | | identifying chemicals which can specifically kill these |
| general concept is that most medical practitioners and | | | | cancer stem cells, these chemicals may be used in |
| scientists believe that these specific cancer stem cells | | | | future drug development to create cancer-seeking |
| allow cancer to spread throughout the body, possibly | | | | drugs that literally seek and destroy the cancerous |
| reemerging after treatments that otherwise seem | | | | cells within the body. |
| successful. Currently, the research has only been | | | | Unfortunately, these cancer stem cells are extremely |
| performed on mice, but the study does show that | | | | rare, and considering that they lose their properties |
| there is a possibility for chemicals that can be used in | | | | when grown outside of the body, research has been |
| the human body to selectively kill cancer cells at their | | | | severely limited due to a lack of material available for |
| primary core: the stem cell. | | | | analysis; however, there are a variety of studies |
| Studying Stem Cells | | | | underway seeking to establish a better consensus. |
| According to Robert Weinberg, one of the authors | | | | A Future Cancer Cure? |
| of the study and a member of the Whitehead | | | | Researchers from Broad and Whitehead Institute |
| Institute for Biomedical Research, "Evidence is | | | | have used additional research to generate a fairly |
| accumulating rapidly that cancer stem cells are | | | | large number of these cancer cells in laboratory |
| responsible for the aggressive powers of many | | | | environments. Unfortunately, this has only been |
| tumors. The ability to generate such cells in the | | | | completed on mice and limited in scope to focusing |
| laboratory, together with the powerful techniques | | | | upon breast cancer in particular. The compound they |
| available at the Broad Institute, made it possible to | | | | discovered is called salinomycin. It destroys not only |
| identify this chemical. There will surely be dozens of | | | | cancer stem cells created in the laboratory, but also |
| others with similar properties found over the next | | | | those which are naturally occurring. Salinomycin, when |
| several years." | | | | compared to the common chemotherapeutic drug |
| The paper was published in the medical journal Cell, | | | | paclitaxel, reduced the number of cancer stem cells |
| and the lead author, Eric Lander - director of the | | | | by more than 100-fold in 30 mice. In addition, it also |
| Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and professor of | | | | reduced the size of the breast tumors that it did not |
| systems biology at Harvard Medical School - says | | | | eliminate completely. |
| that, "Many therapies kill the bulk of the tumor only | | | | While not conclusive by any means, the evidence is |
| to see it grow. This raises the prospect of new kinds | | | | fairly compelling and has sparked further research into |
| of anti-cancer therapies." | | | | the cure for cancer. |
| The evidence was fairly overwhelming and backs an | | | | |