First compound that specifically kills cancer stem c...(salinomycin-treated human breast tumors ...),Health

Exactly how salinomycin's works against cancer stem cells, the researchers don't yet know. As its name suggests, the chemical has antibiotic properties that likely aren't relevant to its newfound cancer stem cell-killing ability. It also disturbs cells' potassium balance.

It remains unclear whether salinomycin itself might find its way to the clinic, Gupta said, since many pharmaceutical steps are involved in the drug discovery process. Nevertheless, the chemical does serve as an immediate tool for manipulating cancer stem cell numbers and observing the effects on cancer's spread and progression.

The findings also highlight a new avenue for the development of cancer therapies, the researchers say.

" To date, rational cancer therapies have been designed to target specific genetic alterations present within tumors," they wrote. "The findings here indicate that a second approach may also prove usefulnamely, searching for agents that target specific states of cancer cell differentiation. Accordingly, future therapies could offer greater possibilities for individualized treatment by considering both the genetic alterations and differentiation states present within the cancer cells of a tumor at the time of diagnosis."

They envision a future in which combination therapies might couple more traditional cancer drugs with those designed to hit the cancer stem cells that would otherwise get left behind.

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