Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
10:15
Isolation and Culture Expansion of Tumor-specific Endothelial Cells
Published on: October 14, 2015
Bony endothelium: tumor-mediated transdifferentiation?
1Interdepartmenteel Stamcelinstituut, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Onderwijs & Navorsing 1, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. catherine.verfaillie@med.kuleuven.be
Cancer Cell
|September 6, 2008
Summary
Prostate tumors contain endothelial cells that transform into bone and cartilage-like cells. This discovery suggests new avenues for anti-angiogenic cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Endothelial cells (ECs) are crucial for tumor growth and angiogenesis.
- The differentiation potential of ECs within the tumor microenvironment is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differentiation potential of endothelial cells in prostate tumors.
- To explore the implications of EC differentiation for cancer therapy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of endothelial cells isolated from murine prostate tumors.
- Histological examination of human and murine prostate tumors for calcified ECs.
Main Results:
- Murine prostate tumor endothelial cells exhibit unexpected differentiation into bone and cartilage-like cells.
- Calcified endothelial cells were identified in both human and murine prostate tumors.
Conclusions:
- Endothelial cells within prostate tumors possess a remarkable differentiation capacity.
- These findings present a novel target for anti-angiogenic therapies in prostate cancer.
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