Stopping cancer where it starts: Do recently-discovered cancer stem cells hold the key?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
Steamworks
375 Water Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
Join the leading Canadian and Californian cancer stem cell researchers for discussion, debate, and refreshments. Space is limited, so please RSVP: cafescientifique@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
The age of stem cell research has offered up a new hope in the fight against cancer. There is mounting evidence that altered stem cells within some types of tumours are at the origin of tumour growth and the cause of relapse and spread of the disease. This discovery has raised the possibility of developing new treatments that attack cancer at its very roots. Other researchers are proposing to use stem cells from the blood of donated umbilical cords to develop anti-cancer treatments for breast cancer and leukemia. But researchers do not yet fully understand how cancer stem cells operate, and potential treatments that specifically target and use these cells could be years away.
Experts:
Connie J. Eaves
PhD
Director
Terry Fox Laboratory
Professor
Medical Genetics
University of British Columbia
Benjamin G. Neel
MD, PhD
Director, Ontario Cancer
Institute, Senior Scientist
Division of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology
Thea D. Tlsty
PhD
Professor of Pathology and
Co-Leader at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center,
University of California, San Francisco
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