The cancer stem cell (CSC) model proposes that a subgroup of tumour resident cells are pluripotential and can give rise to the heterogeneous cell populations that populate a tumour. Current cancer therapeutics eliminate the majority of the tumour mass, but fail to eradicate the CSC population. If the CSC model is correct, these CSCs, or tumour initiating cells, may repopulate the tumour through self-renewal and differentiation, resulting in relapse even after chemotherapy. As it is important to identify the source/s of tumour initiating cells, this study is aimed at isolating a colon CSC population from the stage C human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines, DLD1 and HT29, ultimately to assess potential novel therapeutic effects of the epigenetic drugs Valproic acid and Zebularine.
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