In a new study, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have discovered a molecular mechanism involved in the development of cells that give
In a new study, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have discovered a molecular mechanism involved in the development of cells that give rise to malignant brain tumours.
The scientists say that their findings may provide a target for killing malignant brain tumours at their source, and will also prevent them from recurring.Cancer stem cells, like normal stem cells, have multi-potent and self-renewing properties, but instead of producing healthy cells, they propagate cancer cells. Thus, destroying such "mother cells" would mean that the tumour would not survive.
Alternatively, if such cells are not removed or destroyed, the tumour would continue to return despite the use of existing cancer-killing therapies.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most malignant form of tumour that develops in the brain, but all glioblastomas are not identical. Subgroups are comprised of cells originating from different brain tumour stem cells with unique genetic characteristics that use different signalling pathways in their development and growth.
Now, the researchers are building genetic "profiles" of these cancer stem cells and the tumours they appear to produce.
In the current study, they identified a subset of brain tumour stem cells that is dependent on a protein called Sonic Hedgehog, and another subset that is not Hedgehog dependent.
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According to scientists, Sonic Hedgehog signalling mechanism looks like one of the molecular mechanisms regulating both normal stem cell growth and cancer stem cell growth.
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The findings could pave the way for therapies to block the underlying cancer-causing mechanisms with genes or small molecules, according to the research team.
The study is published in the journal Stem Cells.
Source-ANI
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