Isolation and use of solid tumor stem cells

US9492538B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN · US

Inventors

• Michael F. Clarke · Ann Arbor, US
• Sean Morrison · Ann Arbor, US
• Max S. Wicha · Ann Arbor, US
• Muhammad Al-Hajj · Cambridge, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 10, 2005
• Grant date: Nov 15, 2016
• Expiry date: Sep 12, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12N2503/02
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A small percentage of cells within an established tumor have the properties of stem cells. These solid tumor stem cells give rise both to more tumor stem cells and to the majority of cells in the tumor that have lost the capacity for extensive proliferation and the ability to give rise to new tumors. The solid tumor heterogeneity reflects the presence of tumor cell progeny arising from a solid tumor stem cell. This discovery is the basis for solid tumor stem cell compositions, methods for distinguishing functionally different populations of tumor cells, methods for using these tumor cell populations for studying the effects of therapeutic agents on tumor growth, and methods for identifying and testing novel anti-cancer therapies directed to solid tumor stem cells.