Source: Weill Cornell Medical College / New York- Presbyterian Hospital
Date: May 27, 2008
Summary:
The molecular profile of cancer stem cells that initiate metastatic colon tumors is significantly different from those responsible for primary tumors, according to new research from a team at Weill Cornell Medical College. Cancer researchers have long believed that a protein called CD133 identifies a population of cancer stem cells (so-called CD133+ cells), the only subset of cells that are responsible for tumor initiation. But in the experiment, in which immunocompromised mice were injected with human metastatic colon cancer, the Weill Cornell team discovered that cancer cells that do not express CD133 can also spur metastatic disease. The findings were released as a special "highlighted" article in the May 22 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
