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Stem Cells and Cancer

Researchers Related to Stem Cells and Cancer
 

Researchers at the Charles C. Gates Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Biology along with the University of Colorado Cancer Center are the first in the nation to test drugs that specifically target cancer stem cells. Their research has shown that cancer stem cells are the at the root of cancer. When those stem cells are destroyed, the cancer is no longer able to regenerate.

This therapy can be used to treat tumors and blood cancers. It has already proven effective in clinical trials that are currently being conducted in collaboration by both Centers.

For more information on the Center's Stem Cells and Cancer program, please refer to the list of researchers below.
ResearcherUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
  
Description
Bailey, Susan
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Our particular interest is in the essential roles telomeres and telomerase play in the maintenance of adult stem cell compartments. Most recently, we have been investigating ionizing radiation-induced reprogramming/dedifferentiation of non-stem to stem cells, and the implications of such findings for carcinogenesis and tumor repopulation following radiotherapy.
Bernt, Kathrin

One of my major current projects involves characterizing the effect of loss of Dot1l and H3K79 methylation on normal hematopoetic stem cells. I was recently involved in delineating the effects of loss of H3K79 on the generation of iPS cells, and we were able to show that loss of H3K79 methylation facilitated (likely PRC2 mediated) repression of differentiation associated expression programs that represent a barrier to reprogramming. I have preliminary data suggesting a similar role for Dot1l in hematopoietic development.

Stem Cells and Cancer Links
We hypothesize that leukemia stem cells maintain self-renewal properties though aberrant expression of stem cell programs controlled by epigenetic mechanisms. Targeted modulation of the epigenetic modifiers that regulate stem cell programs may serve as new approach to cancer therapy.

Stem Cell Biology Links
We are investigating how the interplay of different chromatin modifications guides hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells through the coordinated activation and shut down of stem cell and differentiation associated gene expression programs during normal hematopoietic development.

Box, Neil

Stem Cell and Cancer Links
We are presently studying the role of key oncogenic and tumor suppressor pathways, particularly p53, in melanoma progression and metastatic conversion through their effects on stem-like properties of melanoma cells.

Stem Cells and Disease
My group has an interest in understanding the skin pigmentary system and the potential role of melanocyte stem cells in hyperpigmentation and in pigmentation diseases such as vitiligo or premature graying where melanocyte loss is observed. We are focused on finding effective therapies for these conditions.

Cramer, Scott

Stem Cells & Cancer Links
We study the role of stem cells as a target for chemoprevention of prostate cancer, with a particular focus on vitamin D mediated regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of the prostate stem cell. We also use a developmental stem cell model to interrogate the functional significance of prostate cancer genetic alterations.​

Fujita, Mayumi
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
We look at the role of melanocyte stem cells and melanoma stem cells in melanomagenesis, melanoma progression and therapeutic resistance.
Jimeno, Antonio
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Our research looks to bridge the lab and the clinic by:
  1. Developing direct patient xenograft models of head and neck cancer to test new therapies and as a platform to study cancer stem cells, and 
  2. Conducting Phase I clinical trials of agents targeted against de-regulated pathways and cancer stem cells.
Koch, Peter J.

Stem Cell and Cancer Links
My group is investigating the role of cell adhesion molecules and cell adhesion molecule-mediated signaling in cancer stem cells. Our main focus is non-melanoma skin cancer.

Stem Cell and Disease Links
My laboratory utilizes stem cell technology to investigate the disease mechanisms of inherited skin disorders, such as blistering skin diseases, and to develop therapeutic strategies to correct disease-causing mutations in patient cells.

Stem Cell Biology Links
Our team is developing experimental strategies to generate patient-derived stem cells (induced pluripotent stem cells; iPSC) for basic and clinical research.

Koster, Maranke
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
My laboratory is interested in the mechanisms by which skin squamous cell carcinomas develop.   To study this process, we genetically alter skin stem cells and determine whether this leads to tumor formation.  These studies may ultimately lead to the development of novel treatments for patients with skin squamous cell carcinomas.

Stem Cells and Disease
Patients with ankyloblepharon ectodermal dysplasia and clefting (AEC) exhibit severe skin erosions as well as hair abnormalities.  These abnormalities are caused, in part, by defects in epidermal and hair follicle stem cells of these patients.  One goal of our laboratory is to further identify these defects and ultimately to design novel treatments for AEC patients. 
 
Stem Cells and Biology Links
Research in my laboratory is aimed at identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate stem cells of the hair follicle.  These stem cells are responsible for generating the entire hair follicle, and ultimately the hair shaft.  By investigating how hair follicle stem cells function, we expect to gain insight into abnormalities in hair follicle stem cell function that occur in patients with certain hair disorders.
Lu, Shi-Long

Stem Cells and Cancer Links
We are focused on understanding the mechanisms of the PI3K/PTEN/AKT signaling pathway in maintenance of tentative esophagus, oral, and skin stem cells in their tissue homeostasis, with focus on the roles of the tentative stem cells in development of squamous cell carcinoma in esophagus, oral cavity, and skin.

Malkoski, Stephen
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Our research involves the identification of cancer stem cells in lung squamous cell carcinoma and targeting of these stem cells in preclinical chemotherapeutic trials.
Neff, Tobias

Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in the self-renewal of leukemia stem cells. A well documented example are leukemias caused by fusions of the Mixed-Lineage-Leukemia (MLL-) Gene. MLL-fusions lead to deregulation of stem cell programs, involving genes such as HOXA9 and MEIS1. I am interested in the role of chromatin modifiers in the aberrant self renewal of leukemic stem cells. I am currently focusing on the role of EZH2, a member of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). Both, hyper- and hypo-activity of PRC2 are associated with cancer, but the mechanistic underpinnings are unclear. I believe that a more detailed understanding of the role of PRC2 in epigenetic gene regulation will lead to improved therapies targeting aberrant self-renewal in leukemia and cancer.

Stem Cell Biology Links
I have an interest in the role of epigenetic modifiers in the maintenance and self-renewal of normal hematopoietic stem cells. A better understanding of stem cell programs has broad therapeutic implications for stem cell expansion and stem cell gene therapy.

Porter, Christopher
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Our lab is focused on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for hematopoietic diseases and leukemia, with particular emphasis on hematopoietic and leukemic stem cells.
Refaeli, Yosef
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
We have generated matched sets of normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem cells. We are now studying the differences between these two populations with high-throughput screening methods aimed to identify novel therapeutic targets and agents. This is a novel method to understand the differences between blood cancer stem cells and normal blood stem cells. The goal here is to identify novel drug candidates that can specifically target blood cancer stem cells and spare normal blood stem cell populations.
 
Stem Cells and Disease
We are developing a universal donor hematopoietic stem cell line for clinical use in conditions that would normally require a bone marrow transplant. Examples of this are cancer, immunodeficiency, autoimmune diseases, acute radiation sickness, among others. This is a program that is focused on the development of a blood stem cell line that can be used for transplantation into humans. The use of a high number of very pure stem cells should also enable us to transplant the cells to any individual who require a transplant, without regard to genetic background and/or matching.

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
We are studying the role of MYC in the regulation of hematopoietic
stem cell self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation. We are developing novel approaches to improve bone marrow stem cell transplantation, red blood cell production in vitro, and potentially extend our approach to other adult somatic stem cell sources. These programs aim to understand the molecular circuitry of stem cells - how they remain in a stem like condition, and how they choose to differentiate to a particular lineage. 
Roop, Dennis
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
My research focuses on understanding the role of cancer stem cells in the maintenance and resistance of skin cancer.
 
Stem Cells and Disease
We are developing stem cell therapies for inherited skin blistering diseases.

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Links
We are developing stem cell therapies for wound repair.
Sartorius, Carol
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
My research program focuses on the role of cells with an epithelial progenitor phenotype in breast cancer disease progression, therapy resistance and tumor recurrence.
Thamm, Douglas

Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Treatment with adult stem cells such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is showing promise for a variety of immune, inflammatory and degenerative diseases in dogs and humans. However, there is accumulating evidence that MSCs may promote tumor growth through direct stimulation of tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion and suppression of apoptosis, as well as indirectly through stimulation of angiogenesis and immunosuppression. Cancer is generally a disease of older dogs, the same population of patients likely to receive MSC therapy for other degenerative diseases. Thus, an understanding of the effects of MSCs on canine cancer behavior is critical. In this pilot study, we propose to investigate the effects of canine MSC conditioned medium (MSC-CM) on proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration in a large panel of canine tumor and endothelial cells. Demonstration that MSC-CM can exert tumor promoting effects in vitro will address a key safety concern regarding the application of MSC-based therapies in dogs with known or suspected cancer, and will inform decision making regarding MSC use in an aged dog population at risk for tumor development. At minimum, it may suggest that thorough screening for cancer be undertaken prior to MSC therapy. Furthermore, a large number of additional studies with relevance to canine cancer may be indicated to better characterize the tumor-promoting effects of MSCs.

Wang, Xiao-Jing
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
Our research is focused on the identification of cancer stem cells in head & neck cancer and skin cancer; and then studying stem cell fate decisions during skin development and cancer.
 
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Links
We are developing methods to accelerate wound repair of epithelial tissues.
 
Yi, Rui
Stem Cells and Cancer Links
My research interests are to investigate MicroRNA-mediated regulation in mammalian skin development, stem cells and cancer.
Zhang, Qinghong

Stem Cells and Cancer Links
My research is focusing on the transcriptional regulation in skin biology, dynamic stemness, and cancer development.

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Links
We are interested in developing therapeutics for skin diseases and wound healing.