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Tumour Stem Cell Discovery Offers Cancer Treatment Hope ANGUS HOWARTH Thu 18 Nov 2004 A TYPE of stem cell has been identified that drives brain tumours and may lead to new cancer treatments. The cancer stem cells were isolated from human tumours and injected into the brains of mice. As few as 100 of the cells formed tumours in the animals, whereas injections of tens of thousands of "ordinary" cancer cells failed to do so. The discovery, reported in the journal Nature, is further evidence that stem cells are the driving force behind many cancers. Stem cells are immature "master" cells that can be programmed to form different kinds of tissue. Scientists hope they will usher in a new era of revolutionary treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes. Stem cells have been linked to leukaemia but so far, with the exception of breast cancer, there has been little evidence that they contribute to solid tumours. The discovery of brain tumour stem cells provides strong support for the cancer stem cell theory. SOURCE: The Scotsman, UK http://tinyurl.com/6hu5c * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> Please place this address in your address book Please purge all others Web site: Parkinsons Resources on the WWWeb http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn