Beckman symposium on cancer stem cells
BY BY AMY ADAMS
The annual Beckman Symposium will focus this year on the field of cancer stem cells. The event, to be held Feb. 4, will feature leaders in cancer stem cell research from Stanford and from across the United States and Europe.
Cancer stem cells are the cells that constantly replenish a cancer. The bulk of the disease is made up of cells that can damage the body but can't propagate the cancer. New research in this field is opening up the possibility of treatments that selectively destroy the cancer stem cells and more effectively eradicate the disease.
At Stanford, research in the field has turned up cancer stem cells in colon, head and neck cancers and in forms of leukemia. One of the Beckman symposium speakers will be Michael Clarke, MD, the Karel H. and Avice N. Beekhuis Professor in Cancer Biology, who leads a group of Stanford researchers searching for cancer stem cells in additional tumor types.
Other speakers will include Thomas Look from Harvard, who will talk about zebrafish as a model for cancer stem cells; Irving Weissman, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, who will discuss the difference between normal and cancer stem cells; and Andrew Fire, PhD, professor of pathology and genetics and Nobel laureate, who will talk about cellular identity.
Pre-registration for the event is required. Go to the Web site at Beckman.stanford.edu for more information about how to pre-register and for a schedule of speakers.
