Chaired by Tito Fojo, NCI

Conference Room F1/F2, Natcher Conference Center

This session will focus on the new insights gained from study of stem cells in oncology. Stem cells with capacity for long-term self-renewal have been described in normal bone marrow and normal tissues; these cells have high levels of expression of the ABC transporters P-glycoprotein and ABCG2. These transporters protect cells from medical or environmental toxins. Recently, stem cells have been described in cancers, and it has been proposed that resistant and recurrent cancers result from the presence of these stem cells. It is likely that cancer stem cells possess resistance mechanisms similar to those of normal stem cells--quiescence, survival signaling, repair pathways, and drug transporters. Following successful chemotherapy, these cells produce the population of cells in recurrent tumors. If proven, this hypothesis would shift our paradigm for drug resistance and would provoke a shift in our thinking about therapeutic targets.

Program:

Introduction: The Stem Cell Phenotype
Tito Fojo, NCI

Cancer Stem Cells and Drug Resistance, a Shifting Paradigm
Susan Bates, NCI

The Niche, Immortal DNA and Somatic Stem Cells
Gil Smith, NCI

Cervical Stem Cells: Isolation, Characterization and Potential Role in HPV-associated Cervical Carcinogenesis
Astrid Baege, NCI

Cancer Stem Cells and the Hedgehog/Patched Pathway
Michael Dean, NCI

Stems Cells, Neurodegenerative Disease, and Implications for Cancer
Ron McKay, NINDS