Stems Cells and Cancer

The discovery of stem cells has ignited a field of discovery in many human disease areas including diabetes, neurology, and cancer. The tissues from which stem cells have been derived for research have become controversial over the years. Stem cells hold promise in the treatment of debilitating diseases as a new source of therapy. While stem cells may provide therapeutic benefit under certain conditions, stem cells have most recently been implicated in the progression and aggressiveness of certain cancers.Stem cells are characterized by the potential to self-renew, to differentiate, and can sustain tumor growth. Cancer stem cells have been implicated in a variety of tumor types including gliomas, breast, colon, and prostate carcinomas. Hematopoietic stem cell malignancies have been demonstrated in contributing to hematological malignancies such as leukemia. Mesenchymal stem cells have also been implicated in progression of disease. The stem cell niche or microenvironment also plays an important role in nurturing stem cells until their release and mobilization towards sites of active tumorigenesis.

Rebecca Bagley is a senior scientist at Genzyme Corporation and has worked in the biotechnology industry for 20 years with degrees in biology from Wellesley College and Harvard University. Her expertise in drug development spans a wide range of approaches including immunotherapies, gene and protein therapies, and small molecule delivery with publications in journals such as Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Cancer Research, and Microvascular Research. Her current research focuses on stem cells, tumor vasculature, and target validation. Dr. Beverly A. Teicher is Vice President of Oncology Research at Genzyme Corporation. Dr. Teicher completed a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University and postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Teicher joined Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as an Assistant Professor of Pathology and rose to Associate Professor of Medicine and Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Joint Center for Radiation Therapy. Dr. Teicher is an active member of the international scientific community having authored or co-authored more than 400 scientific publications. She has edited eight books, is senior editor for the journal Clinical Cancer Research and is series editor for the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development book series.