Creation of cancer stem cells for brain tumor and leukemia using hydrogel: A combined study between medicine and chemistry

Abstract

In Japan, cancer is the leading cause of death, accounting for approximately 380,000 deaths annually. Although treatment methods for cancer are advancing, therapy-resistant clones remain, resulting in a poor prognosis. The presence of therapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a major cause of recurrence. However, the detection of these cells is difficult, and no detection method for CSCs has been established clinically. Recently, the authors found that if cancer cells were placed on a hydrogel, cancer cell spheroids were rapidly formed within 24 h, and the expression of stem cell markers, such as SOX2, increased, leading to the creation of CSCs. This phenomenon is called “hydrogel activated reprogramming (HARP),” meaning that reprogramming is induced in cancer cells by the gel. Eventually, we expect to discover new CSC markers based on the HARP phenomenon and apply them in the development of CSC therapeutics.