Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Ask you oncologist to test for your cancer STEM cells…
Identification of cancer stem cells and use of same for diagnosis and treatment
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a method of identifying cancer stem cell markers in a human primary tumor comprising:
(a) in vivo passaging the primary tumor; and
(b) comparing a level of at least one antigen in a first population of passaged tumor cells of the primary tumor with a second population of tumor cells of the primary tumor, wherein the second population of tumor cells are:
(i) non-passaged cells of the human primary tumor; or
(ii) in vivo passaged cells of the human primary tumor, wherein the second population of tumor cells has been in vivo passaged for at least one less number of passages than the first population of passaged tumor cells,
wherein an increase in the amount of the antigen in the first population of tumor cells as compared to the amount of the antigen in the second population of tumor cells is indicative of a cancer stem cell marker in the human primary tumor.