What can I do whit my Cancer Stem Cells?(I know, its a big question..) - (Feb/25/2010 )

Hi all.
I am starting my PhD...so, I am a novice...I my lab, we perform cultures of cancer stem cells, and my boss answer me: "What would you like to do with this cells??"..Its a big question because, as you know, the topic is almost infinity. But, I would like that someone who works with CSC´s suggest me some of the most relevant paper of this area, is to say, what are the unanswered question about CSC´s? Because I haven´t idea what to study with this cells¡¡¡
If you can guide me to this topic with a couple of paper, I will appreciate.

Thanks in advance...

What kind of CSCs do you culture? How do you isolate them and in what media do you grow them in?

Hi three.
Thanks for anwer me.
Well, I have Cancer Stem Cells from glioblastoma, I am using primary cells from patients. After homogenisation of the tissue, I culture them in stem cells medium (DMEM+FGF+EGF+N2+Glutam.)..We have nude rats to test its capacity of initiate a tumor.
Have you any idea?
Can you suggest me the most important paper of the area?Because I don´t know what to do, what can I study with these cells...I would like to complement in vitro and in vivo studies..
Could you help me?
Thanks in advance.

I think your boss wants to see if you can find relevant information and come up with an idea.
Finding literature on this should be easy - read your boss's last papers and reviews and go through the cited articles in there.

Finding a topic might not be as easy - but it will come if you read the literature before.

Thanks.
I will take your advice seriously..

Best regards.

Hi Autophagator,

Have you thought of testing if they are able to subvert an immune response. Some studies have shown that the immunocompetence of the recipient will significantly affect the cells that can proliferate upon transplantation.

I think it would be a good test to see if they produce IDO or some other suppressive factors.

Cheers
Andrew

Hi,

There are several unanswered questions out there especially in the field of cancer stem cells, seriously!!!
But since the field is going with piercing competition, in my opinion, it would be a good start or specific if you ask the details of your lab collaborators, if any. Because, after all your ‘boss” and or ‘promoter’ already have got some (unanswered) questions and now they likes to solve them by collaborating with other labs, who is working on the same (particular) issue ...

Greets!

http://stemcellresources.blogspot.com , connecting cancer and stem-cell with personalized cancer medicine

stem cell is a pretty booming area right now. maybe you could combine it with another huge area of research that's developing, microRNA. There are lots of articles that link dysregulation of microRNA with cancer stem cells.