title: Leukaemia stem cells and the evolution of cancer-stem-cell research.
abstract: Many cancers seem to depend on a small population of 'cancer stem cells' for their continued growth and propagation. The leukaemia stem cell (LSC) was the first such cell to be described. The origins of these cells are controversial, and their biology - like that of their normal-tissue counterpart, the haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) - is still not fully elucidated. However, the LSC is likely to be the most crucial target in the treatment of leukaemias, and a thorough understanding of its biology - particularly of how the LSC differs from the HSC - might allow it to be selectively targeted, improving therapeutic outcome.
authors.affiliation: Brian J. P. Huntly is at the Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. bhuntly@rics.bwh.harvard.ed.
authors.forename: Brian J P
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Huntly
authors.forename: D Gary
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Gilliland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002455:Cell Division; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012106:Research; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor