Cancer Stem Cells

In this book, preeminent researchers have compiled cancer stem cell research techniques and protocols to promote healthy competition, discourse, and collaboration in this vital field. The book provides a timely contribution in this nascent field.

Cancer is a devastating disease that affects millions of people in the world. Our the- pies for tumors have mostly been based on classical chemotherapy and antiproliferative treatments. More recently, directed therapies against a causative oncogene have led to prominent reduction in tumor rates for some cancers. For instance, chronic myelogenous leukemia that is due to a BCRABL translocation can be targeted with Gleevec. Despite these advances in individual tumors, a number of patients are treated for their primary tumors and ultimately relapse. Relapsing tumors can be due to resistance to chemotherapy or to antioncogene drugs. Another hypothesis is that heterogeneity in the tumor leads to an inability of classical chemotherapy to completely eradicate all cells of the tumor. This concept of heterogeneity has led some investigators to propose a cancer stem cell model. As patients are treated with chemotherapy, most of the dividing cells are killed, but this leaves a small subset of cells that have the ability to remake the entire tumor. These are cancer stem cells. They possess the signals of self-renewal and yet can also differentiate. If one could understand more about the cells that remain after classical chemotherapy or the cells that can remake the tumor among the heterogeneous population, this information would have a huge impact on our treatment of cancer.

Provides easy to follow protocols in this technically challenging field Presents a cohesive review of a variety of methods to isolate, identify, and study cancer stem cells Is a timely contribution in this nascent field and will level the playing field of investigators of cancer stem cells Presents a comprehensive, step-by-step guide by leading researchers in the field of cancer stem cells Brings to light methods that have been mired in mystery Brings together divergent viewpoints and methods to isolate the same population of cells, from prospective isolation using surface markers to stem cell propagation assays

Klappentext

Through the revolutionary concept of cancer stem cells, cancer research has been reinvigorated to study the role of these unique cells in cancer propagation and as targets of innovative therapies. In Cancer Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, preeminent researchers have compiled cancer stem cell research techniques and protocols to promote healthy competition, discourse, and collaboration in this vital field. The volume covers extensive topics such as identification and isolation of cancer stem cells, animal models of cancer stem cells, methylation profiling, the contribution of the niche in the regulation of cancer stem cells, immunologic targeting, and the use of normal stem cells as a treatment, among other subjects. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and expert notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Cancer Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols will aid scientists around the world in the furthering of our understanding of cancer initiation and propagation and, most importantly, in the development of novel targets for cancer therapy.

Inhalt
Defining Cancer Stem Cells by Xenotransplantation in Zebrafish.- Analysis of Cancer Stem Cell Metastasis in Xenograft Animal Models.- Identification of Murine and Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells.- Methods for Analysis of Brain Tumor Stem Cell and Neural Stem Cell Self-Renewal.- Prospective Identification of Cancer Stem Cells with the Surface Antigen CD133.- Neurosphere Culture and Human Organotypic Model to Evaluate Brain Tumor Stem Cells.- Methodologies in Assaying Prostate Cancer Stem Cells.- Characterization of Nonmalignant and Malignant Prostatic Stem/Progenitor Cells by Hoechst Side Population Method.- Anchorage-Independent Growth of Prostate Cancer Stem Cells.- Identification of Human Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells.- Cancer Stem Cells in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.- Pituitary Adenoma Stem Cells.- Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling: The mDIP-Chip Technology.- The Contribution of Niche-Derived Factors to the Regulation of Cancer Cells.- Dendritic Cell Vaccines for Cancer Stem Cells.- Maintaining and Engineering Neural Stem Cells for Delivery of Genetically Encoded Therapy to Brain Tumors.- Measurement of Multiple Drug Resistance Transporter Activity in Putative Cancer Stem/Progenitor Cells.