Category Archives: Stem Cell Therapy

Five presentations at the 101th annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research were highlighted a news release from Geron Corporation (dated March 3, 2010). One presentation that had an explicit focus on CSC was this poster:

Imetelstat, a telomerase inhibitor in phase I trials in solid tumor and hematological malignancies, has broad activity against multiple types of cancer stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Also mentioned in the news release was an oral presentation by Jerry W Shay, given as part of the Major Symposium entitled: Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Chromosomal Stability and Disease [Session Detail]. The presentation was:

Role of telomerase in normal and neoplastic stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Another poster about the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat (GRN163L) was:

Sensitivity and resistance of non-small cell lung cancer to the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat [Presentation Abstract].

Comments: A search of the ClinicalTrials.gov database for GRN163L revealed 6 trials. Four were ongoing, but not recruiting participants. Two were still recruiting: 1) Safety and Dose Study of GRN163L Administered to Patients With Refractory or Relapsed Solid Tumor Malignancies; 2) A Study of GRN163L With Paclitaxel and Bevacizumab to Treat Patients With Locally Recurrent Or Metastatic Breast Cancer.

An analogous search for imetelstat yielded the same 6 trials. All 6 trials have been sponsored by Geron Corporation.

For links to recent news items, visit these [Twitter] or [FriendFeed] pages. Examples of two news items that have received attention:?

• Distinct expression levels and patterns of stem cell marker, aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1 (ALDH1), in human epithelial cancers by Shan Deng and 15 co-authors, including George Coukos and Lin Zhang, PLoS ONE, 2010(Apr 21); 5(4): e10277 [Connbotea bookmark][PubMed Citation][OA full text]. Last sentence of the abstract:
  

  As a novel cancer stem cell marker, ALDH1 can be used for tumors whose corresponding normal tissues express ALDH1 in relatively restricted or limited levels such as breast, lung, ovarian or colon cancer.

• AACR: Are Cancer Stem Cells Vulnerable to Trastuzumab? By Ed Susman, MedPage Today (Apr 19) [FriendFeed entry][AACR10 abstract]. Excerpt:
  

  Mathematical modeling suggests that even in women whose breast cancer does not overexpress the HER-2 gene, treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the adjuvant setting could wipe out cancer stem cells, researchers reported here.

For links to recent news items, visit these [Twitter] or [FriendFeed] pages. Examples of two news items that have received attention:?

• Distinct expression levels and patterns of stem cell marker, aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1 (ALDH1), in human epithelial cancers by Shan Deng and 15 co-authors, including George Coukos and Lin Zhang, PLoS ONE, 2010(Apr 21); 5(4): e10277 [Connbotea bookmark][PubMed Citation][OA full text]. Last sentence of the abstract:
  

  As a novel cancer stem cell marker, ALDH1 can be used for tumors whose corresponding normal tissues express ALDH1 in relatively restricted or limited levels such as breast, lung, ovarian or colon cancer.

• AACR: Are Cancer Stem Cells Vulnerable to Trastuzumab? By Ed Susman, MedPage Today (Apr 19) [FriendFeed entry][AACR10 abstract]. Excerpt:
  

  Mathematical modeling suggests that even in women whose breast cancer does not overexpress the HER-2 gene, treatment with trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the adjuvant setting could wipe out cancer stem cells, researchers reported here.

Five presentations at the 101th annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research were highlighted a news release from Geron Corporation (dated March 3, 2010). One presentation that had an explicit focus on CSC was this poster:

Imetelstat, a telomerase inhibitor in phase I trials in solid tumor and hematological malignancies, has broad activity against multiple types of cancer stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Also mentioned in the news release was an oral presentation by Jerry W Shay, given as part of the Major Symposium entitled: Role of Telomeres and Telomerase in Chromosomal Stability and Disease [Session Detail]. The presentation was:

Role of telomerase in normal and neoplastic stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

Another poster about the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat (GRN163L) was:

Sensitivity and resistance of non-small cell lung cancer to the telomerase inhibitor imetelstat [Presentation Abstract].

Comments: A search of the ClinicalTrials.gov database for GRN163L revealed 6 trials. Four were ongoing, but not recruiting participants. Two were still recruiting: 1) Safety and Dose Study of GRN163L Administered to Patients With Refractory or Relapsed Solid Tumor Malignancies; 2) A Study of GRN163L With Paclitaxel and Bevacizumab to Treat Patients With Locally Recurrent Or Metastatic Breast Cancer.

An analogous search for imetelstat yielded the same 6 trials. All 6 trials have been sponsored by Geron Corporation.

There were two poster sessions on Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The sessions, Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics 1 and Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics 2, took place on the morning and afternoon of April 20, 2010 [FriendFeed entry].

Two posters presented in the 2nd session have been highlighted in a news release. See: Alchemia’s HyACT Technology Enhances the Killing of Cancer Stem Cell Populations in Breast and Colorectal Cancer, Business Wire, April 20, 2010 [FriendFeed entry]. One of these is Poster #4293: Evaluation of activated CD44 as a biological target in the eradication of breast cancer stem cells, by Vera J Evtimov and Tracey J Brown [Presentation Abstract]. The other is Poster #4278: HA-Irinotecan targeting of activated CD44 is an effective therapy for the eradication of putative colon cancer stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

There were two poster sessions on Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The sessions, Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics 1 and Cancer Stem Cell Therapeutics 2, took place on the morning and afternoon of April 20, 2010 [FriendFeed entry].

Two posters presented in the 2nd session have been highlighted in a news release. See: Alchemia’s HyACT Technology Enhances the Killing of Cancer Stem Cell Populations in Breast and Colorectal Cancer, Business Wire, April 20, 2010 [FriendFeed entry]. One of these is Poster #4293: Evaluation of activated CD44 as a biological target in the eradication of breast cancer stem cells, by Vera J Evtimov and Tracey J Brown [Presentation Abstract]. The other is Poster #4278: HA-Irinotecan targeting of activated CD44 is an effective therapy for the eradication of putative colon cancer stem cells [Presentation Abstract].

For links to recent news items, visit these [Twitter] or [FriendFeed] pages. Examples of a few news items that have received attention:

• Split ends in CML: divergent roles of Hes1 by Catriona Jamieson, Blood 2010(Apr 8); 115(14): 2726-7 [FriendFeed entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation][Full text PDF]. A comment on: Hes1 immortalizes committed progenitors and plays a role in blast crisis transition in chronic myelogenous leukemia by Fumio Nakahara and 13 co-authors, Blood 2010(Apr 8); 115(14): 2872-81. [Epub 2009(Oct 27)][PubMed citation].
• Metabolism and the leukemic stem cell by Omar Abdel-Wahab and Ross L Levine, J Exp Med 2010(Apr 12); 207(4): 677-80 [Epub 2010(Apr 5)][FriendFeed entry][ResearchGATE entry][CiteULike entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation][Full text].
• A hypoxic niche regulates glioblastoma stem cells through hypoxia inducible factor 2alpha by Sascha Seidel and 13 co-authors, including Till Acker, Brain 2010(Apr); 133(Pt 4): 983-95 [FriendFeed entry][ResearchGATE entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation].

For links to recent news items, visit these [Twitter] or [FriendFeed] pages. Examples of a few news items that have received attention:

• Split ends in CML: divergent roles of Hes1 by Catriona Jamieson, Blood 2010(Apr 8); 115(14): 2726-7 [FriendFeed entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation][Full text PDF]. A comment on: Hes1 immortalizes committed progenitors and plays a role in blast crisis transition in chronic myelogenous leukemia by Fumio Nakahara and 13 co-authors, Blood 2010(Apr 8); 115(14): 2872-81. [Epub 2009(Oct 27)][PubMed citation].
• Metabolism and the leukemic stem cell by Omar Abdel-Wahab and Ross L Levine, J Exp Med 2010(Apr 12); 207(4): 677-80 [Epub 2010(Apr 5)][FriendFeed entry][ResearchGATE entry][CiteULike entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation][Full text].
• A hypoxic niche regulates glioblastoma stem cells through hypoxia inducible factor 2alpha by Sascha Seidel and 13 co-authors, including Till Acker, Brain 2010(Apr); 133(Pt 4): 983-95 [FriendFeed entry][ResearchGATE entry][Connotea bookmark][PubMed citation].

Medical Hypothesis: No small matter: microRNAs - key regulators of cancer stem cells by Qing Ji, David Karnak, Ping Hao, Rongquan Wang and Liang Xu, Int J Clin Exp Med 2010(Mar 12); 3(1): 84-7 [FriendFeed entry][Full text via PMC]. PubMed Abstract:

Emerging evidence demonstrates that both tumor suppressor and oncogenic miRNAs play an essential role in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation by negatively regulating the expression of certain key genes in stem cells. It seems logical that they may also be critical players in cancer stem cells. Though small in size, miRNAs play a key role in the epigenetic regulation of cancer stem cells. Specifically, the imbalance of oncogenic vs. tumor suppressor miRNAs may lead to dysregulation of cancer stem cells, thus causing excessive self-renewal and survival of cancer stem cells, and resistance to chemo/radiotherapy. We postulate that restoring the balance of miRNAs will correct this dysregulation via the direct and simultaneous modulation of downstream stem cell pathways involved in cancer stem cell self-renewal and/or differentiation. The resultant restoration of key regulatory pathways could improve therapeutic response. Restoring tumor suppressor miRNAs and/or inhibiting oncogenic miRNAs may provide a novel molecular therapy for human cancers, potentially via modulating cancer stem cells.

Medical Hypothesis: No small matter: microRNAs - key regulators of cancer stem cells by Qing Ji, David Karnak, Ping Hao, Rongquan Wang and Liang Xu, Int J Clin Exp Med 2010(Mar 12); 3(1): 84-7 [FriendFeed entry][Full text via PMC]. PubMed Abstract:

Emerging evidence demonstrates that both tumor suppressor and oncogenic miRNAs play an essential role in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation by negatively regulating the expression of certain key genes in stem cells. It seems logical that they may also be critical players in cancer stem cells. Though small in size, miRNAs play a key role in the epigenetic regulation of cancer stem cells. Specifically, the imbalance of oncogenic vs. tumor suppressor miRNAs may lead to dysregulation of cancer stem cells, thus causing excessive self-renewal and survival of cancer stem cells, and resistance to chemo/radiotherapy. We postulate that restoring the balance of miRNAs will correct this dysregulation via the direct and simultaneous modulation of downstream stem cell pathways involved in cancer stem cell self-renewal and/or differentiation. The resultant restoration of key regulatory pathways could improve therapeutic response. Restoring tumor suppressor miRNAs and/or inhibiting oncogenic miRNAs may provide a novel molecular therapy for human cancers, potentially via modulating cancer stem cells.