Cancer stem cells represent the next frontier in discovering new therapies for cancer. Comprising less than 10% of a cancer mass, cancer stem cells are the proliferating cells at the core of the abnormal biology of the tumor, driving cancer growth and metastasis. These cells are much more resistant to chemotherapy and radiation than the more differentiated cancer cells which comprise the majority cells in a tumor mass.

There are currently no therapies that specifically target cancer stem cells because it has been extremely difficult to initiate and maintain these cells in culture in order to study them. Based on its methodology for culturing normal organ stem cells, Raven has developed an effective technology that has allowed the establishment of dozens of pure cancer stem cell lines from a variety of cancers. New monoclonal antibodies are being raised against these stem cell lines to test for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. In addition, genomic and proteomic profiling of these cancer stem cells will contribute new insights into the intracellular pathways that allow these cells to resist conventional chemotherapy, as well as support the development of vaccines specifically targeting cancer stem cells.

Click here to view a presentation on this significant advance in the Raven scientific platform