Current Research Methods to Identify Isolate and Characterize Cancer Stem Cells in Cells Lines and Human Tissues: Perspectives in Cancer Treatment.

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Beatrice Aramini

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

Dr. Beatrice Aramini was born in Cremona (Italy). She earned a degree in Medicine in 2007 at the University of Bologna-Alma Mater Studiorum (Italy), her PhD in Pneumo-Cardio-Thoracic for Medical and Surgical Sciences in 2011 at the University of Bologna-Alma Mater Studiorum (Italy) and the specialization in Thoracic Surgery in 2016 at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena (Italy). During her PhD, she attended a two years Research Fellowship in Lung Transplantation at the College of Surgeons and Physicians in Columbia University Medical Center (New York, US), developing experiences and knowledge in basic science, as well as translational research at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Division of Lung Transplantation. As regards the scientific activity, she is involved in national and international collaborations and research projects regarding benign and malignant thoracic diseases. This is justified by several international articles published in peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of the Italian Society of Thoracic Surgeons (SICT), of the Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgeon (SIET), of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT). The main areas of clinical research include lung cancer, pneumothorax disease, pectus excavatum, thymic disease, lung transplantation; with regards of basic science-translational research, the principal interests are focused on genetic mutations, cancer stem cells, miRNA and exosomes, as for prognostic and therapeutic purposes, in lung cancer.

Collection Overview

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are subpopulations of cancer cells that share similar characteristics of normal stem or progenitor cells (such as self-renewal ability and multi-lineage differentiation to drive both tumor growth and heterogeneity). They seem to have a role in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis; this is especially evidenced in cellular and molecular regulation, influencing their phenotypic changes and behaviors during the different stages of cancer progression. This complexity brings together a wide range of techniques that have been developed to identify, isolate and characterize in vitro cancer stem cells from cell lines as well as human tissue. The importance of identifying cancer stem cells is the necessary pillar in order to establish further studies in larger populations, discover new characteristics of these cells, as well as develop future targeted treatments. Several methods have been developed to identify cancer stem cells, however, the argument is still debatable. Examples of methods to be included in this collection are:(1) fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS); (2) cytofluorimetric analysis; (3) in vitro cell cultures, (4) gene expression profiles; and (5) immunofluorescence microscopy. In addition to the most common approaches, new techniques regarding molecular and cellular characteristics are appreciated. These may include new tools such as 3D cell devices, miniaturized systems for molecular and cellular analysis, drug testing and/or cellular growing, microarray-based techniques (i.e. tissue and protein arrays), and single-cell RNA sequencing on cancer stem cells (CSCs).