Genetically Modified Stem Cells Kill Brain Tumors

By the Science 2.0 Staff
October 24, 2014
Article

In the article Genetically Modified Stem Cells Kill Brain Tumors, scientists have found a way to engineer stem cells to produce tumor-killing toxins in mice brains to help in the fight against brain cancer. After the main tumor is removed, these cells kill off any remaining cancer cells.The stem cells are placed at the tumor site in a biodegradable gel, solving previous delivery issues. The cytotoxins used to kill the cancer cells are deadly to all cells, however, scientists have found a way to only target the cancer cells while posing no risk to normal cells. The toxins enter the cancer cell and disrupts the cell’s ability to make proteins, and therefore kills the cell. While the toxins have been used before to stop blood cancers, they have been unsuccessful with solid tumors because the toxins have a short half-life. This is where the stem cells come in. They can continuously deliver these toxins into the brain tumors, and the stem cells themselves are also genetically engineered to be immune to the toxins themselves. The stem cells are created with a mutation that prevents the toxins from killing them off, and they also have an extra bit of genetic code that allows them to produce and release the toxins. So far, the cells have only been tested in mice, but they have successfully killed the cancer cells and prolonged the life of the mice. The team of scientists is planning to combine the use of these toxin-producing stem cells with therapeutic stem cells for more positive results. These cells may be used on humans in clinical trials within the next five years.

This article relates to our study in class about cells. It makes reference to the cell’s protein-making abilities, and also discusses the genetic makeup of the stem cells (DNA and RNA).