Two studies conducted in part by UW-Madison researchers, revealed new information about the nature of cancer cells and stem cells.
The first study found a new way of looking at cancer cells, specifically those found in the early stages of leukemia, according to the UW-Madison website.
UW-Madison associate professor of pathology Igor Slukvin worked on the study with a team that included researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research and the WiCell Research Institute.
According to the university, the researchers used a method developed in 2009 by Wisconsin stem cell researcher James Thomson to avoid problems that often plague stem-cell research.
Slukvin said the results may mean researchers will be able to see exactly when the cancer begins to show the cells, according to the website.
The other study, reported in the scientific journal ""Nature,"" looked at induced pluripotent stem cells and their possible medical benefits.
Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells that have been scientifically altered to behave like embryonic stem cells.
The study found these cells retain individual characteristics from actual embryonic stem cells, as well as from each other, which had not been proven in any prior research.
The final report said these cells have potential benefits for therapy and the study of disease progression.
UW-Madison and Morgridge Institute researchers Thomson, Ron Stewart and Jessica Antosiewicz-Bourget worked on the study, which was based out of a lab in California.
—Scott Girard
