Stem Cells and Cancer

Stem cell research is a broad field of research in biology. Stem cell research has the capability to revolutionize medicine and therapies. The research behind stem cell research includes studying embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and differentiation of stem cells.

In 2010, the “Center for Stem Cell Biology” (CSCB) was created to further research stem cells. CSCB connects scientists across many fields of expertise (cancer pathogenesis, cell biology, chemical biology, computational biology, developmental biology, and pharmacology to help explore the field of stem cells using developmental studies. CSCB also assists scientists in using cell technology; this includes induced pluripotency, directed differentiation, genetic modification, and prospective purification of stem cells.

Scientists are discovering new ways to research embryonic stem cells through stem cell engineering. Essentially, embryonic stem cells are immature cells that have yet to differentiate to form into body organs or tissue cells, or any cell. Stem cell engineering can create nerve cells from embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease. Stem cell engineering also advances developmental tools for stem cell research in melanoma, pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, and various diseases.