Sean J. Morrison, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute who led the research stated "Our study demonstrates that it's possible to identify mechanistic differences between normal stem cells and cancer stem cells, and that the differences can be exploited therapeutically."

Finding these differences between cancer cells and normal cells has long been the most important goal of cancer research. Morrison stated that finding some vulnerability within the mechanism that triggers cancer development will enable scientists to kill cancer cells while avoiding damaging cells and processes involved in normal functions. An example here would be avoiding damaging bone marrow cells.

This kind of research allows for the development of anti-cancer therapies that not only more effective but also significantly less side-effects to normal tissues.

Researchers Target Cancer Stem Cells' Unique Vulnerability