Shrikant Anant
Kansas University Cancer Center, and Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology,
School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center

Cancer Stem cells are being increasingly recognized as a small portion of cells that specifically have the ability to give rise to all cell types found within the tumor. They are highly tumorigenic and play a significant role in relapse giving rise to new tumors and metastasis to other sites. Our current therapeutic modalities are targeted towards the large population rapidly dividing cells within the tumor and not the cancer stem, cells. Since the cancer stem cells are a small population of cells, the current modalities might not target them. Therefore identifying novel therapeutics that targets the cancer stem cells would be an efficient, novel mechanism for prevention and therapy. In my presentation, I will summarize our recent progress in the identification and characterization of the cancer stem cell. We have discovered a new marker DCLK1 for stem cells (both normal and cancer). I will present data on the marker and the use of the marker for isolating the stem cell and characterizing the cells using in vitro and in vivo studies. Together, these studies will help in further our understanding on the role of stem cells in tumor development, progression and metastasis, and also give us the opportunity for developing novel compounds that target these cells for prevention and therapy.