Cancer breakthrough
SCIENTISTS have created prostate cancer in the laboratory by genetically altering human stem cells.
The ability to produce cancer "from scratch" is expected to boost efforts to find agents that combat the disease, which affects around 35,000 men each year in the UK.
Scientists believe most cancers are driven by "rogue" stem cells – the immature "mother" cells that develop into different kinds of tissue. Knowing what makes a stem cell turn cancerous can help researchers identify the causes of cancer.
A US team led by Dr Owen Witte, from the University of California at Los Angeles, broke apart prostate tissue to extract stem cells. The scientists then engineered specific genetic changes into the stem cells to generate cancer.
Dr Witte said the technique could help "fine tune" new anti-cancer drugs and starting with prostate stem cells made it a lot easier to target specific genetic defects.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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