Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 3.08 | Mar 5 2014

DDB2 Suppresses Tumorigenicity by Limiting the Cancer Stem Cell Population in Ovarian Cancer
A novel role was identified for DNA damage binding protein 2 (DDB2) in the tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer cells and the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. [Mol Cancer Res] Abstract

NAC, Tiron and Trolox Impair Survival of Cell Cultures Containing Glioblastoma Tumorigenic Initiating Cells by Inhibition of Cell Cycle Progression
Investigators aimed to determine the mechanisms involved in the response to antioxidants of a human cell culture containing glioblastoma tumorigenic initiating cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

The Culture of Cancer Cell Lines as Tumorspheres Does Not Systematically Result in Cancer Stem Cell Enrichment
Scientists attempted to generate tumorspheres from several murine and human cancer cell lines: B16-F10, HT-29, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Tumorspheres were obtained with variable efficiencies from all cell lines except from MDA-MB-231 cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

Prognostic Value of Stem Cell Quantification in Stage II Colon Cancer
Researchers aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of cancer stem cells in a highly homogeneous population of stage II colon cancer. One hundred stage II colon cancer patients treated by the same surgical team between 1977 and 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. [PLoS One] Full Article

Hypoxia Promotes Stem-Like Properties of Laryngeal Cancer Cell Lines by Increasing the CD133+ Stem Cell Fraction
Investigators cultured the two cell lines under hypoxia and normoxia and examined the influence of hypoxia on the expression of hypoxia-inducible factors and the cancer stem-like properties of these cells, including cell cycle distribution, expression of stem cell genes (OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG) and laryngeal cancer stem cell surface marker (CD133), proliferation, invasion, colony formation and sphere formation capacity. [Int J Oncol] Abstract

Genistein-Inhibited Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties and Reduced Chemoresistance of Gastric Cancer
Scientists showed that low doses of genistein, extracted from Millettia nitida Benth var hirsutissima Z Wei, inhibit tumor cell self-renewal in two types of gastric cancer cells by colony formation assay and tumor sphere formation assay. [Int J Mol Sci] Abstract | Full Article

Proliferation Inhibition and Differentiation Induction of Hepatic Cancer Stem Cells by Knockdown of BC047440: A Potential Therapeutic Target of Stem Cell Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The authors aimed to determine whether BC047440 is involved in maintaining hepatic cancer stem cells (HCSC) malignant behavior (including proliferation and differentiation). They demonstrated that BC047440 expression was markedly upregulated in HCSCs. [Oncol Rep] Abstract

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Alchemia Announces the In-Licensing of FAK Inhibitors from Cancer Research Technology
Alchemia Limited has licensed two early stage anticancer drug candidates from Cancer Research Technology and will evaluate them in various cancer and cancer stem cell models. The preclinical Focal Adhesion Kinase inhibitors will be evaluated on their effect on the tumor environment and cancer stem cells that are essential for the growth, persistence and reoccurrence of cancer. [Alchemia Limited] Press Release

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NEW Scientific Communications & Publishing Coordinator (STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Small Cell Lung Cancer Circulating Tumor Cell Derived Explant Tumor Models (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute)

Faculty Position – Cancer Biology and Evolution (Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Researcher – Molecular Biology and Cancer Research (Washington State University)

Postdoctoral Position – Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Division (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cell Signaling and Epigenetics (Fondazione Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare)

Research Assistant – Stem Cell & Leukemia Epigenetic (King’s College London)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Morphogenetic Signaling Pathways in Development and Disease (University of Rochester Medical Center)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Particle Chemistry (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – PSC Biology and Bioengineering (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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