The science of cancer stem cells and how the cells might be used to prevent and detect cancer was the focus of a workshop last week on the NIH campus. The meeting was sponsored by NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP).

Several hundred researchers heard presentations on what is known - and not known - about the molecular biology of cancer stem cells. Experts discussed genetic and epigenetic alterations, signaling pathways, and influence of the tumor microenvironment on cancer stem cells.  Read more  

There are many in the cancer research community who believe proteomics has tremendous potential, particularly for the early detection of disease. Unfortunately, current proteomic methodologies have not sufficiently addressed the lack of reproducibility of measurements from run to run, instrument to instrument, or laboratory to laboratory. This lack of standards and reproducibility led NCI to develop and launch the Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer (CPTI) last September. The major goals of CPTI are to optimize current proteomic technologies and develop the new technologies, reagents, systems, and working teams needed to realize proteomics' promise.

Following several years of input from the international proteomics and cancer communities, CPTI was designed to provide a highly organized approach to assess, refine, develop, and apply proteomic technologies and data resources to support the discovery of biomarkers for all aspects of cancer research, especially early detection of cancer and to monitor therapeutic outcomes. This model will also lead to effective ways of addressing the barriers that exist early in the biomarker discovery pipeline.  Read more  

The NCI Cancer Bulletin is produced by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI, which was established in 1937, leads the national effort to eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer. Through basic, clinical, and population-based biomedical research and training, NCI conducts and supports research that will lead to a future in which we can identify the environmental and genetic causes of cancer, prevent cancer before it starts, identify cancers that do develop at the earliest stage, eliminate cancers through innovative treatment interventions, and biologically control those cancers that we cannot eliminate so they become manageable, chronic diseases. For more information on cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit http://www.cancer.gov. NCI Cancer Bulletin staff can be reached at ncicancerbulletin@mail.nih.gov.