"Cancer Researchers Target The Dormant Cells That Seed Tumors" - Heidi Ledford
After decades of designing drugs to kill rapidly dividing tumor cells, many cancer researchers are switching gears: targeting malignant cells that lie silent and scattered around the body, before they give rise to new tumors. Dormant cancer cells are rare, and they are difficult to sift from the trillions of normal cells in the body. For years, researchers lacked the tools to study them, said Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, professor of medicine, hematology, medical oncology, otolaryngology and oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. But that is beginning to change. From June 19-22, researchers will gather in Montreal, Canada, for what Dr. Aguirre-Ghiso says is the first meeting dedicated to these sleeper cancer cells. “The mass of investigators has reached a critical number,” he says. “And there is the realization that it’s an important clinical need.”
- Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology, Otolaryngology, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai