Academics and companies have toiled for years to identify
markers that would enable discovery of drugs targeting cancer stem cells, which
are believed to be responsible for recurrence. These efforts have failed to
yield a reliable means of identifying the cells, but Stemergie Biotechnology S.A. believes it has done exactly that by going back to
the microscope.
Using cancer stem cells it
identified and isolated, the company has discovered small molecules that target
glioma cancer stem cells and could be used in combination with standard of care
to prevent recurrence.