Blog Cancer Subtypes
What are cell lines Cancer cell lines are populations of cancer cells that have been isolated from a tumor and grown indefinitely in a laboratory setting. They are “immortalized” cells, meaning they can keep dividing and growing over time, unlike normal cells that eventually stop dividing (a process called senescence). Normal Cells vs. Cancer Cells Cell Division Limits in Normal Cells:
Normal human cells have a limited capacity to divide. After undergoing a certain number of divisions, they enter a state called senescence, where they permanently stop dividing.
This is a natural mechanism that helps prevent uncontrolled cell growth and potential tumor formation.
Cancer Cell Behavior:
Cancer cells contain mutations that allow them to override these normal growth limits.
These mutations often affect genes involved in cell cycle regulation, DNA repair, and apoptosis (programmed cell death).
As a result, cancer cells can proliferate indefinitely, avoiding senescence and apoptosis. HeLa Cells: The First Immortal Human Cell Line The first immortal human cancer cell line was called HeLa. HeLa cells were derived in 1951 from the cervical cancer cells of a woman named Henrietta Lacks.
The name “HeLa” comes from the initials of her name.
These cells were the first to continue dividing indefinitely under lab conditions, marking a turning point in cancer research.
Under a microscope, the purple region of a stained HeLa cell represents the nucleus, where the cell’s genetic material is housed.
Why Scientists Use Cell Lines Ease of Use:
Cell lines are relatively easy to grow and maintain in laboratory conditions.
They can be genetically manipulated, allowing scientists to study how specific genes influence cancer development and progression.
Research Applications:
Cell lines can model various types of human cancers, providing insight into disease mechanisms.
They are extensively used to study the molecular and genetic underpinnings of cancer.
Researchers use them to examine signaling pathways — the series of chemical signals that control cell behavior, many of which are dysregulated in cancer. Understanding Cancer Subtypes Cancer is Not One Disease:
There are many subtypes of cancer, even within the same organ (e.g., breast cancer has multiple subtypes).
These subtypes differ based on the presence or absence of certain cellular receptors (such as hormone receptors) and gene expression profiles.
Molecular Profiling and Subtyping:
Scientists have used microarray technology to analyze gene expression in cancer cells.
In one significant study, they profiled 65 different tumors.
This analysis helped them identify distinct molecular subtypes of cancer.
It introduced the idea of intrinsic subtypes, which are classifications based solely on the gene expression patterns of the tumors themselves.
These subtypes help in tailoring treatments and improving diagnosis by understanding which genes are active or suppressed in different cancers.
We went onto jupyter notebook to filter data sets with different types of cancer subtypes. In there, I got to see that prostate cancer molecular subtypes hasn’t been uploaded on the file.
Drug screening using cancer cell lines: Drug screening allows scientists to evaluate the efficacy, potency, and selectivity of drugs against different cancer types
breast cancer drugs on the market: Chemotherapy: doxorubicicin; paclitaxel Hormone therapy: tamoxifen, anastrozole(arimidex), exemestane(Aromasin) targeted therapy trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and palbociclib