Cancer stem cells are an intriguing target for researchers because of their potential to re-seed tumors.

Taylor and Dr. L.M. Viranga Tillekeratne, a professor in the Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry in the UToledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, reported their findings in a paper recently published in the journal Scientific Reports. Cancer stem cells are an intriguing target for researchers because of their potential to re-seed tumors.
When doctors remove a tumor surgically or target it with chemotherapy drugs or radiation therapy, the cancer may appear to be gone. However, evidence suggests that a tiny subpopulation of adaptable cancer cells can remain and circulate through the body to seed new metastasis in far-off locations.
Those cancer stem cells, Taylor said, are similar to dandelions in a well-manicured lawn. "You could chop the plant off, but it will drop a seed. You know the seeds are there, but they're hiding," he said. "You pull one weed out and another comes up right after it. Cancers can be like this as well."
The small molecule they have isolated appears to lock on to those stem cells and kill them by blocking their absorption of an amino acid called cystine.
UToledo was awarded a patent for the discovery late last year.
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Tillekeratne has received a three-year, $449,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute to continue testing the effectiveness of the newly identified therapy. Because the molecules so selectively target cancer stem cells, it's possible they could ultimately be paired with other chemotherapy drugs to deliver a more comprehensive treatment.
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Source-Eurekalert