News-Medical.net - Mount Sinai Scientists Identify Cancer’s Achilles Heel
Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. Led by Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD, Chair of Pathology, and Josep Domingo-Domenech, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mount Sinai, the research team generated cellular models of drug resistance by treating prostate tumor cell lines with increasing doses of the common chemotherapy drugs, including docetaxel. "This is the first time these so-called cancer stem cells of prostate have been identified as the basis for drug resistance and tumor progression, indicating that they are cancer's 'Achilles Heel,'" said Dr. Cordon-Cardo.
- Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo, Professor & Chair, Pathology, The Mount Sinai Medical Center
- Dr. Josep Domingo-Domenech, Assistant Professor, Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine