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Updated: May 3, 2026

Author Spotlight: Reprogramming Cancer Cells to iPSCs to Study Disease Progression and Treatment Targets
Published on: February 2, 2024
Tumoral stem cell reprogramming as a driver of cancer: Theory, biological models, implications in cancer therapy
Carolina Vicente-Dueñas1, Julia Hauer2, Lucía Ruiz-Roca1
1Experimental Therapeutics and Translational Oncology Program, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer, CSIC/Universidad de Salamanca, Campus M. de Unamuno s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain.
Abstract:
Cancer is a clonal malignant disease originated in a single cell and characterized by the accumulation of partially differentiated cells that are phenotypically reminiscent of normal stages of differentiation. According to current models, therapeutic strategies that block oncogene activity are likely to selectively target tumor cells. However, recent evidences have revealed that cancer stem cells could arise through a tumor stem cell reprogramming mechanism, suggesting that genetic lesions that initiate the cancer process might be dispensable for tumor progression and maintenance. This review addresses the impact of these results toward a better understanding of cancer development and proposes new approaches to treat cancer in the future.
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