Using Stem Cells to Treat Cancer

Milan, Italy -

Stem cells are currently being considered for numerous conditions afflicting humanity. Stem cell therapy of cancer is very interesting since it offers two possibilities: The first to use the stem cells as a "trojan horse" to carry a toxic payload to the tumor; and the second, to use the stem cell to produce factors that would induce the tumor to differentiate so as to lose its metastatic and invasive potential. Although other groups have demonstrated that several types of stem cells may be used for cancer therapy, the problem with many of these is that they can not be obtained in an autologous manner. In a recent paper (Pisati et al. Effect of human skin-derived stem cells on vessel architecture, tumor growth, and tumor invasion in brain tumor animal models. Cancer Res. 2007 Apr 1;67(7):3054-63.) the use of skin derived stem cells for treatment of cancer was assessed.

Using a mouse model of glioblastoma, it was demonstrated that injection of human skin derived stem cells not only resulted in localization of the stem cells with the tumor cells, but also that administration of the tumor cells was able to cause inhibition of tumor growth and prolong survival.