title: Targeting Cancer Stem Cells with Nanoparticle-Enabled Therapies.
abstract: Emerging evidence suggests that multiple tumor types are sustained by a small population of transformed stem-like cells that have the ability to both self-renew and give rise to non-tumorigenic daughter cells that constitute the bulk of a tumor. These cells, which generally constitute a minority of the overall cancer cell population, are highly resistant to conventional therapies and persist following treatment, leading to disease relapse and the formation of distant metastases. Therapies that disrupt the maintenance and survival of cancer stem cells are the subject of active current investigation. This review discusses recent approaches to the application of nanomedicine to the targeting and elimination of cancer stem cells. Specifically, recent publications in the areas of nanoparticle-enabled drug and nucleic acid delivery and photothermal therapy are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Tumor Angiogenesis Section, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Ravi N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
authors.forename: Frank M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Torti
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
authors.forename: Suzy V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Torti
keywords: Cancer stem cells; Carbon nanotube; Drug delivery; Hyperthermia; Nanoparticle; Nucleic acid delivery; Photo thermal therapy; Targeted; Tumor-initiating cells