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Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...

Distinctive Features of Adult Stem Cells vs Cancer Stem Cells

Distinctive Features of Adult Stem Cells vs Cancer Stem Cells

A stem cell is an unspecialized cell that can divide without limit as needed and can, under specific conditions, differentiate into specialized cells.
Adult stem cells
Adult stem cells are tissue-specific; hence, they divide to develop the tissue from which they originate. One type of adult stem cell is the epithelial stem cell, which gives rise to the keratinocytes in the multiple layers of epithelial cells in the epidermis of the skin. Adult bone marrow has three distinct types of stem cells:...

Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells

Renewal of Intestinal Stem Cells

The intestinal epithelial lining rapidly renews every 4 to 5 days. The renewal is facilitated by intestinal stem cells (ISCs) located at the base of the crypt– a gland located at the bottom of each villus. ISCs divide asymmetrically to form new stem cells and progenitor daughter cells. The daughter cells are called transit-amplifying (TA) cells which move upwards along the crypt and either differentiate into absorptive cells– the enterocytes or secretory cells– including the goblet,...

Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration

Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration

Stem cell therapy is a method used in regenerative medicine to repair and restore function to damaged tissues and organs. Stem cells have the potential to proliferate and differentiate into various tissue types, making them ideal candidates for tissue regeneration. For example, hematopoietic stem cell transplants are commonly used in blood cancer treatment to replenish damaged bone marrow and restore healthy blood cells.
Types of Stem Cells used in Stem Cell Therapy
The two main cell types that...

Adult Stem Cells

Adult Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously renew...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Discovery of Driver Genes in Colorectal HT29-derived Cancer Stem-Like Tumorspheres

Discovery of Driver Genes in Colorectal HT29-derived Cancer Stem-Like Tumorspheres

Published on: July 22, 2020

Colon cancer stem cells.

Antonija Kreso¹, Catherine Adell O'Brien

¹Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Current Protocols in Stem Cell Biology

|November 20, 2008

Summary

This study outlines methods for isolating and functionally testing colon cancer stem cells. Researchers can identify tumor-initiating cells using flow cytometry and assess their capacity through xenograft or sphere-forming assays.

Area of Science:

Oncology
Cell Biology
Cancer Stem Cell Research

Background:

Colon cancer stem cells (CSCs) are crucial for tumor initiation and progression.
Understanding CSCs is vital for developing effective cancer therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe protocols for isolating and functionally testing colon cancer stem cells.
To provide guidance on potential challenges in CSC research.

Main Methods:

Generating single-cell suspensions from human colon cancer tissue.
Fractionating cells into tumor-initiating and non-tumor-initiating subsets using flow cytometry-assisted cell sorting.
Functionally testing tumor-forming capacity via in vivo xenograft assays and in vitro sphere-forming assays.

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Obtaining Cancer Stem Cell Spheres from Gynecological and Breast Cancer Tumors

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Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Discovery of Driver Genes in Colorectal HT29-derived Cancer Stem-Like Tumorspheres

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Published on: July 22, 2020

Evaluation of Stem Cell Properties in Human Ovarian Carcinoma Cells Using Multi and Single Cell-based Spheres Assays

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Obtaining Cancer Stem Cell Spheres from Gynecological and Breast Cancer Tumors

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Published on: March 1, 2020

Main Results:

Established protocols for CSC isolation and characterization.
Demonstrated the utility of flow cytometry for CSC subsetting.
Validated xenograft and sphere-forming assays for functional testing.

Conclusions:

The described protocols enable robust isolation and functional assessment of colon cancer stem cells.
These methods are essential for advancing colon cancer research and therapeutic development.