Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

Okayama University research: Innovative method for determining carcinogenicity of chemicals using iPS cells


News provided by

Okayama University

07 Oct, 2020, 04:54 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

OKAYAMA, Japan, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent study published in Scientific Reports researchers at Okayama University use stem cell models to show how certain chemical compounds can induce cancer.

Stem cells have the unique ability to grow into any kind of cell within the body. A subtype of these, cancer stem cells (CSCs), reside within tumors enabling the aggressive growth of cancer. Researchers at Okayama University have previously converted ordinary stem cells into CSCs by growing them in tumor milieu. Now, for the first time, Professor SENO Masaharu and Dr. Juan Du from Okayama University and colleagues used this model and developed a method to observe the induction of cancer stem cells to identify potential carcinogens and their mechanisms.

Stem cells of mice were first grown in the microenvironment of lung tumors. Subsequently, these stem cells were treated with 110 different chemical compounds and the effects of these chemicals on CSC induction was measured. Within just a week, three compounds (PDO325901, CHIR99021, and Dasatinib) led to the first sign of CSCs—spherical cluster formation. While other compounds resulted in the stem cells losing their unique properties, PDO325901, CHIR99021, and Dasatinib effectively upheld the integrity of these cells. The stem cells treated with these three compounds where then transplanted into mice and allowed to grow for 6 weeks. As expected, these cells developed into malignant tumors implicating various parts of the mice. Molecular tags which help recognize CSCs were present in these tumors confirming the successful conversion of stem cells into CSCs.

Cancer is initiated when growth signals within a cell are activated indefinitely. When the team took a deeper look into such signals, they found that one cellular pathway, namely, PI3K-Akt-mTOR was especially active in the newly formed CSCs. Genes involved in this pathway were dormant in the original stem cells, but fully functioning in the CSCs. What's more, blockers of PI3K-Akt-mTOR did not result in successful CSC formation. PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling was thus an important factor in turning healthy stem cells cancerous.

"In the current study, we proposed a simple method to assess the risks of tumor-inducing factors in the presence of chemical compounds that accelerated the conversion of miPSCs into CSCs", conclude the researchers. This study provides a robust model for revealing chemicals with a penchant for cancer initiation, using healthy stem cells. Additionally, this model also unraveled the importance of the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway in promoting the conversion of stem cells into CSCs. Therapies which target this pathway might keep cancer cells in check and prevent their spread.

Background

Stem cells and CSCs: Stem cells have two characteristic properties which differentiate them from other cells in the body—they can divide uncontrollably and can grow into any kind of the cell in the body. Given these properties, cancer stem cells (CSCs) are especially dangerous as they multiply easily and contribute to the rapid growth of tumors.

Not too many cellular models enable scientists to visualize the processes at play when healthy, functioning cells turn cancerous; scientists typically rely on existing tumors to study the cells within. Thus, the technique of converting ordinary stem cells into CSCs has opened several research avenues to understand this transition better. Uncovering potential carcinogens, effectiveness of therapies, and underlying pathways are some of the areas researchers can explore with this technique.

Related figure

https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/up_load_files/research_highlights/114_image_1.jpg

Caption

The shapes (Cells) and tumorigenicity (Tumor) of stem cells after 1-week treatment. SC, stem cells without treatment; SC+CM+PD0325901, SC+CM+ CHIR99021 and SC+CM+Dasatinib, stem cells treated with PD0325901, CHIR99021 and Dasatinib, respectively in the presence of the conditioned medium of Lewis lung carcinoma cells (CM). Tumors formed by SCs treated with the compounds showed malignancy while that formed by SC without treatment formed benign teratoma.

Reference

Juan Du, Yanning Xu, Saki Sasada, Aung Ko Ko Oo, Ghmkin Hassan, Hafizah Mahmud, Apriliana Cahya Khayrani, Md Jahangir Alam, Kazuki Kumon, Ryo Uesaki, Said M. Afify, Hager M. Mansour, Neha Nair, Maram H. Zahra, Akimasa Seno, Nobuhiro Okada, Ling Chen, Ting Yan & Masaharu Seno. Signaling Inhibitors Accelerate the Conversion of mouse iPS Cells into Cancer Stem Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment. Scientific Reports, volume.10, Article number: 9955 (2020)

DOI : 10.1038/s41598-020-66471-2

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66471-2 

Correspondence
Professor Masaharu Seno, Ph.D.
Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of
Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University,
3-1-1 Tsushimanaka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
e-mail : mseno(a) okayama-u.ac.jp
For inquiries, please contact us by replacing (a) with the @ mark.

http://www.cyber.biotech.okayama-u.ac.jp/senolab/kenkyu-e.html

Further information
Okayama University
1-1-1 Tsushima-naka , Kita-ku , Okayama 700-8530, Japan
Public Relations Division
E-mail: www-adm(a) adm.okayama-u.ac.jp  
For inquiries, please contact us by replacing (a) with the @ mark.

Website: https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html 
Okayama Univ. e-Bulletin: https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/kouhou/ebulletin/    
Okayama University supports the Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.okayama-u.ac.jp/en/

Modal title

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.