Shoot and Root Apical Meristems

Abstract

This chapter intends to give the audience a basic idea on normal and cancer stem cells, as two essential types of cells in stem cell phenomenology connected by the same feature—“stemness.” This is an introductory conceptual consideration of what these cells are and where are their similarities and differences. The chapter discusses normal and abnormal mechanisms that are working in both type of these cells and make them different. General features of both cell types are given in condensed manner. The development of methodology for their isolation, purification, and segregation from other cell types in normal and cancerous tissues is presented. New methods such as magnetic beads separation, magnetic levitation, detection of microspheres in CSC, the confirmation of CSC entity through injection of the cells in NOD/SCID mice, are described. The impact of the concepts upon development of a new movement in cancer therapy, cancer stem cell targeted therapy is explained.