There is an analogy senior scientist Dr.
John Dick uses when explaining his
TFRI-funded cancer stem cell (CSC)
research. He compares cancer to a
weed that has a separate root to the
stem, branches and leaves, with the
tumour as the leafy top.
“Cancer, just like a weed, can only be
killed if the root is removed entirely –
not just the tumour at the top,” says
Dr. Dick, from his laboratory in Toronto’s
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. “In
our studies, cancer stem cells were
found to act like the root and were
responsible for initiating and sustaining
cancer growth.”
Not all cancer cells in a tumour are
created equally or function the same, he
remarks, much like parts of a plant. It is
the “stemness” characteristic of CSCs
that is responsible for both patients’
response to treatment and the cancer’s
ability to regenerate and spread.
Building on his previously funded
program project grants and important
findings, Dr. Dick’s latest funded, five-year
project aims to understand the
nature of the CSCs in high-risk cancers,
including two blood cancers (acute
myeloid leukemia and myeloma) and
one solid tumour (glioblastoma, a type
of brain tumour). These are cancers
with poor outcomes that are urgently in
need of better treatments.
“Our discoveries will provide us with
a better understanding of cancer
recurrence that can reappear months
or years later from the surviving CSC,”
he says. “We want to find the Achilles
heel of these cells and target them to
be able to reduce therapy failure and
ultimately increase patient survival.”
Dr. Dick credits TFRI with giving his
team the opportunity to “delve into
unexplored areas” and expand on
their groundbreaking cancer stem cell
discoveries.
“We’ve had a great team and we’ve
worked on this very collaboratively,
says Dr. Dick. “We’re looking forward
to harnessing our collective insights
in a concerted way. It’s very gratifying
to get this support from TFRI again for
another five years.”