Cancer therapy targets stem cells
A cancer treatment is being developed that researchers believe could rid the body of the disease by homing in on its stem cells.
Researchers hope the new technology will target the root cause of tumours, leaving surrounding cells unharmed.
The research has been carried out by scientists at Cambridge and Kumamoto University in Japan.
The new treatment targets the cancer stem cells responsible for the growth of many tumours.
Eliminating malignant cells
Dr Toru Kondo, a neurobiologist at the Centre for Brain Repair at Cambridge University, led the development of the therapy, and found that cancer stem cells could be eliminated by first identifying unique features which can be targeted.
The cells could then be targeted with specific antibodies or additional classes of drug compounds.
"Many cancers contain cancer stem cells that are responsible for their malignancy and in order to cure cancer they have to be eliminated," he said.
"Our findings provide a simple and general strategy for doing so."
Cambridge University has licensed the technology to a U.S.-based biotechnology company, Stemline Therapeutics.
Dr Kondo will be collaborating with Stemline Therapeutics in further developing the technology.
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