Insights into the next generation of cancer stem cell research

Abstract

The understanding of how cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating cells (TICs) behave is important in understanding how tumors are initiated and how they recur following initial treatment. More specifically to understand how CSCs behave, the different signaling mechanisms orchestrating their growth, cell cycle dynamics, differentiation, trans-differentiation and survival following cytotoxic challenges need to be deciphered. Ultimately this will advance the ability to predict how these cells will behave in individual patients and under different therapeutic conditions. Second or next-generation sequencing (NGS) capabilities have provided researchers a window into the molecular and genetic clockwork of CSCs at an unprecedented resolution and depth, with throughput capabilities allowing sequencing of hundreds of samples in relatively short timeframes and at relatively modest costs. More specifically NGS gives us the ability to accurately determine the genomic & transcriptomic nature of CSCs. These technologies and the publicly available cancer genome databases, together with the ever increasing computing power available to researchers locally or via cloud-based servers, are changing the way biomedical cancer research is approached.