Tumors are aberrant organ systems containing a complex interplay between the neoplastic compartment and recruited vascular,inflammatory, and stromal elements. Furthermore, most cancers display a hierarchy of differentiation states within the tumorcell population. Molecular signals that drive tumor formation and maintenance commonly overlap with those involved in nor-mal development and wound responses—two processes in which normal stem cells function. It is therefore not surprising thatcancers invoke stem cell programs that promote tumor malignancy. Stem-cell-like cancer cells (or cancer stem cells) need notbe derived from normal stem cells but may be subjected to evolutionary pressures that select for the capacity to self-renew exten-sively or differentiate depending on conditions. Current cancer model systems may not fully recapitulate the cellular complex-ity of cancers, perhaps partially explaining the lack of power of these models in predicting clinical outcomes. New methods areenabling researchers to identify and characterize cancer stem cells. Our laboratory focuses on the roles of brain tumor stem cellsin clinically relevant tumor biology, including therapeutic resistance, angiogenesis, and invasion/metastasis. We hope that thesestudies will translate into improved diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches for these lethal cancers.
展开▼
