Similar to normal stem cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have the ability to self-regenerate, heterogeneous replication, and resistance to apoptosis. Current evidence suggests that in highly malignant tumors, CSCs are not only responsible for the generation of a complex, differentiated tumor cell lineage, but also have the potential to contribute to the ineffectiveness of radiotherapy. As a new and potential research hotspot in cancer research, many scientists need to find and identify tumor cell populations with stem cell-like properties as potential sources of metastasis and treatment resistance.
Pancreatic cancer (PC) and pancreatic CSCs
PC is a recalcitrant and serious disease caused by abnormal cell division and uncontrolled growth in the pancreas. The mortality rate of PC is rapidly increasing. It is predicted that PC will climb to the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030. As one of the most deadly cancers, PC is characterized by fast invasive and metastatic, but there is no effective treatment for it. Pancreatic CSCs (or stem-like cells) have been identified through various cellular and animal models as potential cancer-inducing cells capable of initiating new tumor tissue. Emerging evidence supports the existence of the small subset of malignant cells and their association with cell proliferation/migration, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. Inhibition of pancreatic CSCs and their downstream effects may provide a novel and effective strategy for the treatment of PC and efforts are underway to target these cells. However, the challenges lie in identifying pancreatic CSCs and understanding their specific mechanisms.
Isolation and biological characterization of pancreatic CSCs
Alfa Cytology has an in-depth understanding of primary PC cell and CSC assays. We are proud to offer pancreatic CSC isolation and characterization service to help our global clients answer important preclinical questions about drug candidate compounds and other therapies. Our pancreatic CSC isolation and characterization services are supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure as well as market-leading technology, such as confocal microscopy, flow-sorting methodologies, colonogenic and sphere forming assays, scratch assay, and so on. We are able to help researchers and professionals achieve the following goals, including but not limited to:
- High yield, high purity isolation of pancreatic CSCs (or stem-like cells)
- Identification of CSCs from human PC cell lines with flow cytometry (FCM)
- To meet our customer's CSCs needs, we use the most trusted and widely referenced cell culture products and technologies
- Assessment of the invasive and metastatic potential of pancreatic CSCs
- Confirming the stem-like characteristics of pancreatic CSC
- CSC marker identification and validation
- Genomic analysis of pancreatic CSCs with highly sensitive sequencing and qPCR technologies
Alfa Cytology provides optimized services for pancreatic CSC research, ranging from identification and culturing to downstream applications, such as genomic and functional analysis. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us. We are looking forward to working on your next projects!
References
- Zhao, J., Li, J., Schlößer, H. A., Popp, F., Popp, M. C., Alakus, H., ... & Zhao, Y. (2017). Targeting cancer stem cells and their niche: current therapeutic implications and challenges in pancreatic cancer. Stem cells international, 2017.
- Patil, K., Khan, F. B., Akhtar, S., Ahmad, A., & Uddin, S. (2021). The plasticity of pancreatic cancer stem cells: Implications in therapeutic resistance. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews, 40(3), 691-720.