Catriona Jamieson Talks About Therapies Based on Cancer Stem Cells

Blue H2O Productions

In recent years researchers have found cancer stem cells at the heart of blood cancers as well as some cancers of the brain, breast, colon, head and neck, and others. In those cancers that have cancer stem cells, it’s the cancer stem cells that appear to drive the cancer, multiplying endlessly and generating the bulk of the cancer cells. Researchers are now looking for ways of destroying those cancer stem cells as a new approach to treating cancer. Catriona Jamieson has a CIRM grant that led to the first clinical trial based on a drug that specifically targets cancer stem cells for destruction. She is assistant professor of medicine at UC, San Diego and Director for Stem Cell Research at Moores UCSD Cancer Center.