Novel treatment strategies for malignant gliomas using neural stem cells
Oh MC et al. - In a review of novel treatment strategies for malignant gliomas using neural stem cells (NSCs), it was concluded that these studies and others on the basic biology of both brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) and NSCs will be crucial to expanding treatment strategies for malignant gliomas. Methods- Identification and characterization of endogenous NSCs, especially those in the adult human brain, have inspired new ideas for selectively targeting and destroying malignant gliomas.
- Gliomas consist of a heterogeneous population of cells, and some of these cells have characteristics of cancer stem cells.
- These BTSCs share certain characteristics with normal NSCs.
- It is still unclear whether malignant gliomas in human pts originate from these aberrant BTSCs.
Results- Cellular and molecular similarities between BTSCs and normal NSCs suggest a common research landscape underlying both normal and cancer stem cell biology, wherein findings of 1 field are relevant to the other.
- The natural tropism of NSCs to gliomas has generated the idea that modified NSCs can deliver modified genes to selectively destroy malignant brain tumor cells, and even BTSCs, while leaving healthy surrounding neurons intact.
[more...]
|
|
|
