Sten Cells Core of More Cancers

[Celebration]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061120.wxcancerstemcells20/BNStory/cancer/home

A spate of new discoveries about the basic biology of cancer is pushing researchers toward an astonishing conclusion: For decades, efforts to cure the disease may have targeted the wrong cells.

Current therapies treat all cancer cells the same. They're aimed at shrinking tumours on the basis that the various cells within them all have similar powers to spawn new cancers and spread destruction.

But mounting evidence suggests that cancer's real culprits -- the roots of perhaps every tumour -- are actually a small subset of bad seeds known best to the world as stem cells.

"It is not unreasonable to say that all this time, the 30 or 40 years that chemotherapy and radiation been around, we've been going after the wrong cells," said Alan Bernstein, president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the country's main medical research funding agency. If the theory bears out, he said, "All of our therapies have been targeting and killing the pawns.

"But like chess, you have to kill the king to win the game."

[MADem]

1. These are exciting times we live in, even with all the political strife

Thank heavens for scientists--at least we get a little good news every so often.

[Greyhound]

2. Indeed, we are on the verge of a new world.

The downside is that new world makes our traditional system of exploitation and accumulation of wealth obsolete, and those that benefit from this system are doing whatever they can to stop it.

[Greyhound]

3. Highly recommended, thanks for the catch. n/t

[grasswire]

4. very interesting, thanks (eom)

[On the Road]

5. Wow, That's a Shock!

All this time we've been trying to grow stem cells only to turn around and realize we need better ways to destroy them.

[Caution]

6. Different types of stem cells than embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells have the capability of becoming *any* type of cell. These are garden variety stem cells that are found throughout the body that effectively are running amok (causing cancer).

This is very interesting research, but it does not change the fact that embryonic stem cell research is still the single most promising field of medical research for many medical problems.

It's unfortunate that the press which reports something like this doesn't make the distinction very well since it will mislead otherwise well-intentioned people into thinking that "stem cells" = "bad"

[On the Road]

9. Yes, I Realize That

although I understand there's work going on with adult stem cells as well.

It makes you wonder, though -- aren't those adult stem cells needed for tissue regeneration? What happens if you target them and start killing them off?

[drm604]

11. You wouldn't just target ALL stem cells, nobody is suggesting that.

The idea would be to find a way to target just those stem cells that are causing the cancer.

[Igel]

10. This is true.

But only partially.

Embryonic stem cells can become any type of cell; adult stem cells can't become *any* type of cell, but each variety of adult stem cell can become *several* types of cell. And this positive trait is also the problem.

The ability to differentiate, whether adult or embryonic, also seems to facilitate their developing into cancer. It seems that the greater the range of possible differentiation, the greater the possibility of the cells becoming cancerous.

Neither kind (nor any of the other kinds) of stem cells are "bad" per se; but they all seem to have the same problem for researchers to overcome.

[elehhhhna]

7. k&r

[adamuu]

8. stencils cause cancer?

:rofl:
just funnin with ya