Cancer Stem Cells


Book Description




The Heterogeneity of Cancer Metabolism


Book Description

Genetic alterations in cancer, in addition to being the fundamental drivers of tumorigenesis, can give rise to a variety of metabolic adaptations that allow cancer cells to survive and proliferate in diverse tumor microenvironments. This metabolic flexibility is different from normal cellular metabolic processes and leads to heterogeneity in cancer metabolism within the same cancer type or even within the same tumor. In this book, we delve into the complexity and diversity of cancer metabolism, and highlight how understanding the heterogeneity of cancer metabolism is fundamental to the development of effective metabolism-based therapeutic strategies. Deciphering how cancer cells utilize various nutrient resources will enable clinicians and researchers to pair specific chemotherapeutic agents with patients who are most likely to respond with positive outcomes, allowing for more cost-effective and personalized cancer therapeutic strategies.




Cancer Cell Culture


Book Description

The culture of cancer cells is routinely practiced in many academic research centers, biotechnology companies, and hospital laboratories. Cancer Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols describes easy-to-follow methods to guide both novice and more experienced researchers seeking to use new techniques in their laboratories. Our present understanding of the cell and molecular biology of cancer has been derived mainly from the use of cultured cancer cells and we cover a number of the most widely used assays to study function in current use. Part I introduces the basic concept of cancer cell culture and this is followed by a description of the general techniques used in many cell culture facilities. The importance of cell line characterization is now widely recognized and methods to characterize and authenticate cell lines are described in Part II. Part III covers the isolation and development of specific cancer cell types and provides valuable tips for those wishing to derive new cell line models. A wide range of procedures encompassing many of the key functional features of cancer cells are described in Part IV including assays to evaluate clonogenicity, cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, invasion, senescence, angiogenesis, and cell cycle parameters. Methods to modify cancer cells are described in Part V, including protocols for transfection, development of drug-resistance, immortalization, and transfer in vivo. In Part VI methods of coculture of different cell types and contamination of cell lines are covered.




Methods in Cancer Stem Cell Biology


Book Description

This book describes the use of stem cells and cancer stem cell generation in the inflammatory microenvironment (cancer-inducing niche) using induced pluripotent stem cells. It provides step-by-step techniques and manuals for studying stem cell and cancer stem cell generation with different applications in cancer research. The development of induced pluripotent stem cells has provided a new approach to studying cancer initiation by producing cancer stem cells without introducing mutations or foreign genes. The book features the research of the authors’ group, which was the first to generate cancer stem cells from stem cells in the presence of inflammatory conditions. The 20 chapters of this book cover topics such as generating pluripotent stem cells, converting normal stem cells to cancer stem cells, enriching, isolating and evaluating cancer stem cells. Methods for evaluating the characteristics of cancer stem cells and possible therapies against them are also discussed. The book provides easy-to-follow protocols that help researchers in the study of cancer stem cells. Illustrations help readers understand how the method of cancer stem cell generation can be applied as an essential method for assessing the carcinogenic potential of various non-mutagenic compounds. It will be a useful resource for graduate students, researchers, technicians, and physicians working in academic, hospital, and pharmaceutical settings.




Dynamics of Cancer


Book Description

The onset of cancer presents one of the most fundamental problems in modern biology. In Dynamics of Cancer, Steven Frank produces the first comprehensive analysis of how particular genetic and environmental causes influence the age of onset. The book provides a unique conceptual and historical framework for understanding the causes of cancer and other diseases that increase with age. Using a novel quantitative framework of reliability and multistage breakdown, Frank unifies molecular, demographic, and evolutionary levels of analysis. He interprets a wide variety of observations on the age of cancer onset, the genetic and environmental causes of disease, and the organization of tissues with regard to stem cell biology and somatic mutation. Frank uses new quantitative methods to tackle some of the classic problems in cancer biology and aging: how the rate of increase in the incidence of lung cancer declines after individuals quit smoking, the distinction between the dosage of a chemical carcinogen and the time of exposure, and the role of inherited genetic variation in familial patterns of cancer. This is the only book that presents a full analysis of the age of cancer onset. It is a superb teaching tool and a rich source of ideas for new and experienced researchers. For cancer biologists, population geneticists, evolutionary biologists, and demographers interested in aging, this book provides new insight into disease progression, the inheritance of predisposition to disease, and the evolutionary processes that have shaped organismal design.




Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine


Book Description

Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.







Cancer Cell Culture


Book Description

With many recent advances, cancer cell culture research is more important than ever before. This timely edition of Cancer Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols covers the basic concepts of cancer cell biology and culture while expanding upon the recent shift in cell culture methods from the generation of new cell lines to the use of primary cells. There are methods to characterize and authenticate cell lines, to isolate and develop specific types of cancer cells, and to develop new cell line models. Functional assays are provided for the evaluation of clonogenicity, cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, invasion, senescence, angiogenesis, and cell cycle parameters. Other methods permit the modification of cells for transfection, drug resistance, immortalization, and transfer in vivo, the co-culture of different cell types, and the detection and treatment of contamination. In this new edition, specific emphasis is placed on safe working practice for both cells and laboratory researchers. These chapters contain the information critical to success – only by good practice and quality control will the results of cancer cell culture improve. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Cancer Cell Culture: Methods and Protocols serves as a practical guide for scientists of all backgrounds and aims to convey the appropriate sense of fascination associated with this research field.




Tumor Organoids


Book Description

Cancer cell biology research in general, and anti-cancer drug development specifically, still relies on standard cell culture techniques that place the cells in an unnatural environment. As a consequence, growing tumor cells in plastic dishes places a selective pressure that substantially alters their original molecular and phenotypic properties.The emerging field of regenerative medicine has developed bioengineered tissue platforms that can better mimic the structure and cellular heterogeneity of in vivo tissue, and are suitable for tumor bioengineering research. Microengineering technologies have resulted in advanced methods for creating and culturing 3-D human tissue. By encapsulating the respective cell type or combining several cell types to form tissues, these model organs can be viable for longer periods of time and are cultured to develop functional properties similar to native tissues. This approach recapitulates the dynamic role of cell–cell, cell–ECM, and mechanical interactions inside the tumor. Further incorporation of cells representative of the tumor stroma, such as endothelial cells (EC) and tumor fibroblasts, can mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment. Collectively, bioengineered tumors create an important resource for the in vitro study of tumor growth in 3D including tumor biomechanics and the effects of anti-cancer drugs on 3D tumor tissue. These technologies have the potential to overcome current limitations to genetic and histological tumor classification and development of personalized therapies.




Stem Cell Protocols


Book Description

This volume presents up-to-date methods that allow primary stem cells from a variety of sources to be isolated, cultured in vitro, detected and measured for specific applications. These applications range from those in basic, stem cell and veterinary research to toxicology, cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. There is a slight bias towards the blood-forming system as more is known about the blood-forming or hematopoietic system than any other primary stem cell system. These unique properties and characteristics are discussed and examined, mostly at the cellular level and in detail in this book. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Stem Cell Protocols provides novices with the fundamentals necessary to develop new technologies necessary for basic and clinical research in the future, and will aid professionals in finding new methodologies to provide a wider viewpoint and an even greater scope for their own research.