US Patent 7632678 about CSC

Cancer stem cells and uses thereof, United States Patent 7632678. Issued on December 15, 2009. (Filing Date was November 22, 2006).

Inventors: Loen M Hansford, Kristen M Smith, Alessandro Datti, Freda M Miller and David R Kaplan (Toronto, Canada).

Assignee: The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

Abstract:

Disclosed are enriched preparations of neuroblastoma tumor initiating cells (NB TICs). The NB TICs are capable of self-renewal, initiating neuroblastoma tumor growth in vivo and are capable of being passaged in high frequency. These NB TICs have chromosomal abnormalities and are capable of giving rise to secondary tumor spheres. Methods are also disclosed for preparing the enriched preparations of NB TICs, such as from neuroblastoma tumor tissue and metastasized bone marrow. Also disclosed are methods of screening candidate substances to identify therapeutic agents for the treatment of neuroblastoma. Methods are also provided for screening a sample for neuroblastoma, as well as for screening a sample to identify the stage of neuroblastoma present. Kits are also provided for selecting appropriate anti-neuroblastoma compounds for a patient, and utilize isolated compositions of the patients' neuroblastoma tumor initiating cells. In this manner, a customized medicinal profile for the patient may be devised.

Two blog posts about cancer stem cells

Two recent blog posts by Kevin Graham (thanks to Drew Lyall):

1) Meet Kevin Graham: Cancer stem cell researcher, Connecting for Kids, September 19, 2008. Excerpt:

Have you ever heard of tumour stem cells? Did you know that stem cell research is being used to search for a cure for brain tumours? Admittedly, these probably aren’t the first things that jump to your mind when you hear about stem cell research, but that’s exactly why we started this forum.

2) Stem cells, Cancer and Cancer Stem Cells, Connecting for Kids, September 24, 2008. Excerpt:

How do you target a cancer stem cell? This is one of the many ways in which stem cell research is paying off. Early indications are that normal stem cells and cancer stem cells share many of the same cellular processes. Research over the years has compiled an amazing amount of data about how normal stem cells function, information that is now being rapidly applied to cancer stem cells.

The right frame of both posts also includes links to brief profiles of three other stem cell researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto: Janet Rossant (mammalian developmental biology and genetics), Peter Dirks (cancer stem cells of brain tumors) and Freda Miller (neuronal stem cells and neuronal growth, survival and apoptosis).