How can scientists target stem cells to treat multiple human cancers?

In this paper, I have compiled several research reports to jointly interpret how scientists can treat a variety of human cancers by targeting stem cells, and learn with you! Photo source: NIH [1] NAT commun: uncover the key role of stem cells in lethal gastric cancer doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13847-2 recently, a research report published in the international journal Nature communications, scientists from Cornell University made new discoveries in the study of common and lethal gastric cancer In the United States, the incidence of gastroesophageal cancer increased by 2.5 times from the 1970s to the early 21st century However, since the 1950s, the number of all gastric cancer patients has decreased by more than 80% Nevertheless, gastric cancer is still the fifth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer death In this study, researchers identified a new pathway in gastroesophageal cancer, which may be a potential target to help develop new therapies; progenies of a stem cell group called Lgr5 + may gather in large numbers to promote cancer where the two gastric tissues meet Professor Alexander nikitin, researcher, said that at the global level, gastric squamous columnar junction cancer (gastroesophageal cancer) is a frequent disease with poor prognosis, so it is very important for patients to study the mechanism of the formation of such cancer and how to treat it 【2】 Oncotarget: scientists have identified special leukemia stem cells and are expected to develop a new targeted therapy doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.27356 acute myeloid leukemia Leukemia) is the most common type of leukemia in adults Its main feature is the pathological expansion of immature cells (myeloblasts) These cells will invade the bone marrow and expand into the blood, thus affecting the production of other healthy cells in the body Although patients usually respond to chemotherapy based treatment, many patients will eventually have disease recurrence or treatment It shows a certain tolerance The reason for relapse and tolerance to therapy is usually due to the presence of leukemia stem cells, which can turn on cancer again, thus producing tolerance to therapy However, identifying these leukemia stem cells is a big challenge for scientists, because there is no special marker to help detect and isolate these stem cells Recently, in a research report published in the International Journal oncotarget, scientists from the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute have developed an innovative experiment to help identify the presence of leukemic stem cells by detecting the activity of alkaline phosphatase in myeloblasts 【3】 Nat cell biol: innovative methods or research on stem cell microenvironment may help develop new therapies for leukemia and other blood diseases doi: 10.1038/s41556-019-0439-6 recently, an international journal Nature Cell In the Research Report on biology, scientists from European Molecular Biology Laboratory and other institutions have developed a new method through research, which can reveal the three-dimensional tissue structure of bone marrow at the level of single cell, because bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells responsible for the life-long blood production of the body The results may help researchers to further study the molecular mechanism of multiple blood cancers The researchers said that this new method can help us to analyze the characteristics of complex organs The researchers focused on the study of mouse bone marrow, which contains hematopoietic stem cells that produce life-long blood Because it will affect the ability of stem cells and maintain blood production, now scientists are very interested in using the bone marrow environment as a new target for the treatment of leukemia 。 Researcher Chiara So far, we don't know how different types of cells conduct spatial organization in bone marrow, and how they interact with each other, said baccin The new method we developed can help reveal the composition of cells, namely the three-dimensional organizational structure, and how cells interact with each other In this paper, the researchers have identified that the The known cell type, the niche cells, may be very important for the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells 【4】 Nature: by targeting cancer stem cells or promising to cure acute myeloid leukemia doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1835-6 recently, in a research report published in the international journal Nature, scientists from Peter McCullen cancer center and other institutions in Australia found a root targeted acute myeloid leukemia (AML, acute) New methods of myeloid leukemia) and related research findings may help to develop new therapies for the treatment of malignant refractory blood cancer In this paper, researchers identified a special target in AML stem cells that can be used to develop new drugs AML stem cells are the key to support the development of leukemia Although these stem cells are very rare, they are the main reason to induce AML resistance to current anti-cancer therapy Researchers mark Dawson said that the current treatment of AML is good at eliminating major cancer cells, but it often leaves very rare leukemic cells, leading to cancer recurrence after treatment 【5】 SCI Rep: a new biomarker to identify cancer stem cells, which is expected to develop a high-efficiency anticancer therapy doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51004-3 In the world of cancer biology, not all biomarkers are the same These molecules can remind doctors and patients that abnormal processes may be going on in the body They will appear in the form of a series of abnormal proteins, such as hormones, enzymes or signal molecules, and they vary from person to person Because it's a mixture, no drug can target it effectively Recently, in a research report published in the international journal scientific reports, scientists from the University of Houston and other institutions found a new biomarker in cancer stem cells through research It may be able to direct the survival and spread of cancer, and the relevant research results may help researchers develop new drugs to target cancer stem cells, so as to inhibit the progress of cancer According to gomika udugamasooriya, a researcher, we have found a new biomarker called plectin in cancer stem cells, which can be used as a new target to help researchers develop available anticancer drugs; as a special structural protein, it is mainly expressed in cells, but it is easy to be located in tumors on the surface of cells The invasion is directly related to metastasis Photo source: National University of Singapore [6] J Hepatol: researchers show the potential of targeting cancer stem cells to treat liver cancer doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.08.035 liver cancer is the second largest cancer-related death cause in the world The most common primary liver cancer in adults is called liver cell carcinoma (HCC) About 780000 people die of HCC every year Even with advanced surgical treatment or transplantation, the 5-year survival rate of HCC patients is still very low, which is caused by frequent recurrence of HCC Recently, in a research report published in the International Journal of Hepatology, a new study by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) shows a potential method for the treatment of advanced liver cancer (such as HCC) Researchers found that a small molecular drug targeting JAK / STSt can be used to fight against cancer JAK / STAT signaling pathway is a group of important proteins that control a wide range of biological functions, including immune response and cell development This pathway usually responds to external signals of cells, opens specific genomes, helps cells develop normally or allows the immune system to fight infection Therefore, if the JAK / STAT signal pathway goes wrong in some way, it will lead to tumor formation In their study, the team targeted the JAK / STAT pathway to inhibit its role in tumor formation They found that a class of cancer "stem cell like" cells are sensitive to a class of small molecule drugs that inhibit the JAK / STAT pathway These stem cell like cells can self renew and are responsible for causing cancer cells that make up tumors 【7】 Cell stem cell: reveal the new mechanism of maintaining leukemia stem cells! It is expected that the cancer stem cell doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2019.02.018 most chronic myeloid leukemia patients can be treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors These drugs are very effective, can produce deep remission and prolong survival However, these patients still have resting leukemic stem cells, so they must continue to use inhibitors to maintain remission These "dormant cells" are leukemic stem cells that remain at rest in the microenvironment of the bone marrow Bone marrow is a special anatomical site, which is known to maintain normal hematopoietic stem cells (precursors of all blood cells) However, the role of leukemic stem cells in the maintenance of chronic myeloid leukemia remains unclear In a study published in the journal Cell stem cell, researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, described how a specific cytokine specifically expressed in specific bone marrow cells controls the resting of these resistant leukemia stem cells The chemokine is CXCL12, and the bone marrow cells expressing chemokine are mesenchymal cells Mesenchymal cells have been known to help maintain normal stem cells In patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, long-term resting primordial leukemic stem cells are a major obstacle to the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, the researchers said This work identifies specific mesenchymal stromal cells responsible for keeping leukemic stem cells at rest and resistant to treatment, and shows that targeting these interactions can activate leukemic stem cells And make them sensitive to treatment, so as to enhance the ability to remove cancer cells 【8】 PNAs: a drug that can kill glioma stem cells efficiently doi: 10.1073/pnas.1816626116 recently, in a research report published in the international journal PNAs, scientists from Scripps Research Institute found a compound that can kill glioma stem cells efficiently and selectively, which makes glioma so deadly The researchers say the compound, called ripgbm, can kill glioma stem cells from patients' tumors, 40 times more effective than temozolomide, the current standard treatment for glioma They also found that ripgbm is highly selective and does not kill other kinds of brain cells, and can significantly inhibit the growth of gliomas in mice This research discovery provides a potential new method for the treatment of gliomas Every year, 10000 people in the United States are diagnosed with gliomas, which are difficult to treat The median survival period after diagnosis is only one year 【9】 Nature: to reveal the molecular mechanism of brain stem cells transforming into new neural cells or causing brain cancer doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-0888-x Stem cells are the "universal key" of our body, because they can be transformed into many different types of cells in all organs, which can help muscle (even brain) and other tissues to continuously renew and heal after injury This magical multi potential makes stem cells hopeful to become