Could Stem Cells Replace Cancerous Tissues?

A new study looks at why some cells tend to be more cancerous than others and how adult stem cells can play a vital role in replacing these deadly tissues.

According to research from Carnegie's Alex Marianes and Allan Sprading, they used accessible tissue from adult stem cells in the midsection of a fruit fly gut to provide results that could possibly kill cancerous cells.

Background information from the study notes that like the small intestine in mammals, the midgut of fruit files is where digestion occurs. Scientists have noticed that a few regions can create specialized tasks that absorb iron. Yet, there is little understanding for the extend of various regional differences or how they can be maintained, according to the study.

The researchers were able to demonstrate this via 10 different major subregions of the fruit flies midgut. The study notes the following, via a press release: "They occur in a specific order and each is responsible for different digestive and nutrient-storage processes, as evidenced by the expression of many specific genes. Most importantly, the adult stem cells in each region are specialized as well, and only support the types of cells found within it. Thus, during development, achieving the right spatial sequence of stem cells is probably critical to causing intestines to be built and maintained in order to function optimally.

"The researchers also showed that tumors arise preferentially in specific regions of the midgut, a phenomenon well known in oncology. They showed the tumor-prone regions were specialized for lipid absorption, and stem cell function in them differed in small ways from stem cell function in other regions."

Researchers hope that their works will motivate the search for a more in-depth look at how stem cells work in mammals and how they could be removed or transplanted into human tissue in an attempt for therapeutic processes.

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More information regarding the findings can be seen via eLife.