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Panel 10 – medicine | Laboratory
Cancer Stem cell Program
No separate description is provided for this program. Review of the
publications provided it is obvious that throughout the HSC and NSC
programs, as well as in the area of functional genomics, significant effort
is placed in study of cancer stem cells, in the areas of leukemia, CNS
cancer and breast cancer. A number of excellent to outstanding senior and
young investigators are involved in this research line.
4.3 Strategic planning
The Center has excelled in the development of basic research lines in
HSC and NSC biology, cancer stem cells and to a lesser degree developmental
biology.
The Center plans to continue to build on the existing programs that
are focused chiefly on basic science, and develop the Center to include
translational research. They identify five areas wherein development of
basic-translational research is planned. The areas identified are of great
basic science interest to the Center and the field in general, and have
obviously even greater clinical impact significance. This was apparently
also strongly supported by the EAB to the Center.
a. The area of hematopoiesis and cancer stem cells, in particular in the
area of leukemia, are a logical extension from the studies that are
currently ongoing in the labs of the basic biologists, and the existing
strengths in more clinical research.
b. During discussions with the department head, it became clear that the
move to include more translational research in neurobiology, is well
reasoned, and well planned, and should become possible due to the
fact that clinicians have been enthused regarding the idea, and some
of the junior as well as more senior faculty have been able to exploit
the Linne funds to have a direct clinical link. Moreover, European
funding was also secured in this area.
c. The area of cardiovascular research is to some extent new to the
Center, even though one of the members of the hematopoietic stem
cell program has been active in the area. Offline discussions have
indicated that European funding has been secured in this area to
allow indeed the development of this line of research.
d. Although work is being done in the area of beta cell differentiation
from embryonic stem cells, only two investigators are listed in this
area. Moreover, the move to clinical application of stem cell research
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