Cancer Stem Cell News Volume 5.00 | Jan 6 2016

NANOG Metabolically Reprograms Tumor-Initiating Stem-Like Cells through Tumorigenic Changes in Oxidative Phosphorylation and Fatty Acid Metabolism
NANOG ChIP-seq analyses reveal that NANOG regulates the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial metabolic pathways required to maintain tumor-initiating stem-like cells. [Cell Metab]
Abstract | Graphical Abstract | Press Release

Cancer Stem Cell Regulation Changes at Late Stages of Skin Carcinoma Progression to Enhance Tumor Growth and Metastasis
Using mouse models of skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) progression, investigators found that cancer stem cell regulatory mechanisms change in advanced SCCs, correlating with aggressive tumor growth and enhanced metastasis. [Cancer Res] Abstract

Tumor Suppressor Control of the Cancer Stem Cell Niche
To determine whether peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ) regulates mammary stem cell expansion in mammary cancer, researchers deleted PPARγ expression in the mammary epithelium of an in vivo model of basal breast cancer. [Oncogene] Abstract

Bulk Pancreatic Cancer Cells Can Convert into Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) In Vitro and Two Compounds Can Target These CSCs
Scientists investigated whether bulk pancreatic cancer cells could convert into CSCs under certain conditions and explored whether metformin and curcumin can kill pancreatic CSCs. [Cell Cycle] Abstract

Mucin 1-Mediated Chemo-Resistance in Lung Cancer Cells
Researchers demonstrated that non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) survive paclitaxel (PTX) treatment. Compared with the progenitor NSCLC A549 cells, the PTX-resistant A549 cells displayed enhanced sphere-formation ability. [Oncogenesis] Full Article

Inhibitory Effects of Metformin at Low Concentration on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of CD44⁺CD117⁺ Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells
The authors evaluated the effect of metformin at low dose on ovarian cancer stem cells in order to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

Role of HLA-G and Extracellular Vesicles in Renal Cancer Stem Cell-Induced Inhibition of Dendritic Cell Differentiation
Researchers compared the ability of renal cancer stem cells and derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to modulate the behavior of monocyte-derived dendritic cell with a non-tumor initiating renal cancer cell population and their EVs. [BMC Cancer] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the Cancer Stem Cell research field.

Thrill of Research Results in Funding to Study Prevention of Stem Cell Damage during Cancer Treatment
University of Kentucky researcher Ying Liang, MD, PhD, received a prestigious R01 grant, totaling $1.88 million over five years, from the National Institutes of Health. Liang hopes that understanding the molecular mechanisms of the Latexin gene that affects stem cell vulnerability to cancer therapies could eventually lead to methods to protect these cells during treatment. [University of Kentucky] Press Release

Washington University in St. Louis Initiates Clinical Study of Verastem’s VS-6063 in Combination with Merck’s Pembrolizumab and Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Cancer
Verastem, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase I dose-escalation study at Washington University to evaluate Verastem’s FAK inhibitor VS-6063 in combination with Merck’s PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and gemcitabine in patients with pancreatic cancer. [Verastem, Inc.] Press Release

Weizmann Institute Drug, TOOKAD^® Soluble, Approved for Prostate Cancer Therapy in Mexico
A therapy invented at the Weizmann Institute of Science and clinically developed in collaboration with Steba Biotech has been approved by Cofepris, Mexico’s health authority, for the focal treatment of early-stage prostate cancer. [Weizmann Institute of Science] Press Release

From our sponsor: Learn how to form and isolate neural rosettes more efficiently. Watch the video.

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the Cancer Stem Cell community.

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell and Molecular Biology of Leukemia (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Stem Cell Biology (Cleveland Clinic)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer and Neurodegenerative Disease (University of Pennsylvania)

Postdoctoral Position – Immunotherapy Targeting Cancer Stem Cells (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

Director – Cancer Center (The University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center)

Director – Cancer Institute (North Shore-LIJ Health System)

Assistant Member – Radioimmunotherapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Investigator – Cancer Biology (Wake Forest Baptist School of Medicine)

Faculty Positions – Cancer Pharmacology (Northwestern University)

Recruit Top Talent: Reach more than 60,000 potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.