Cancer Stem Cells

Program Leader
Dr. John Dick
University Health Network

Background
A fundamental problem in cancer research is identifying the cell type capable of starting and supporting the tumour. There is increasing evidence that some cells in the tumour, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), are different from the rest of the tumour and are responsible for long-term tumour growth in several types of cancers.

Evidence is strongest in leukemia, although recent studies have identified CSCs in an increasingly longer list of solid tumours. Despite advances in CSC research, these experimental studies have not yet been translated into improved survival outcomes for cancer patients. This presents a major challenge to this emerging field: to provide evidence that knowledge of CSCs will one day be useful in clinical practice.

Goal
OICR's Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) Program has brought together the highest concentration of CSC researchers in the world to focus on mining CSC biology for potential improved methods of cancer diagnosis and prognosis and the development of more targeted therapies.