A UNMC research team has successfully generated two unique lines of human mammary stem cells that will help scientists determine how cancer stem cells are generated.
The research, which was published in the Aug. 10 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for breast cancer as well as other forms of cancer.
Vimla Band, Ph.D., professor and chairwoman of genetics, cell biology and anatomy, headed the research study, which spanned three years and used adult stem cells.
The new stem cell lines will enable scientists to better study cancer stem cells, which are believed to underlie the mechanism for causing cancer to metastasize throughout the body.
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Vimla Band, M.D. |
“This represents an important breakthrough,” Dr. Band said. “For the first time, we have developed continuous cell lines from the human mammary gland, which have the properties of stem cell renewal and differentiation.
“Not having immortal stem cell lines has posed a major hurdle for scientists studying breast cancer. Now with the new stem cell lines, we will be able to deliberately manipulate the cells in laboratory experiments, and this could be the springboard for unlocking many of the mysteries associated with cancer.”