Through the revolutionary concept of cancer stem cells, cancer research has been reinvigorated to study the role of these unique cells in cancer propagation and as targets of innovative therapies. In Cancer Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, preeminent researchers have compiled cancer stem cell research techniques and protocols to promote healthy competition, discourse, and collaboration in this vital field. The volume covers extensive topics such as identification and isolation of cancer stem cells, animal models of cancer stem cells, methylation profiling, the contribution of the niche in the regulation of cancer stem cells, immunologic targeting, and the use of normal stem cells as a treatment, among other subjects. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and expert notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Cancer Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols will aid scientists around the world in the furthering of our understanding of cancer initiation and propagation and, most importantly, in the development of novel targets for cancer therapy.