IT is another obstacle for stem cell therapies to overcome. Two groups have independently shown that stem cells can trigger cancers, and offer an explanation as to why this is. They also suggest a way of screening cells to reduce the risk.
When the teams compared patterns of gene activity in stem cells from healthy and cancerous tissue they found that those from cancers were often locked in a state in which they carry on multiplying as primitive stem cells, instead of maturing into specific tissues such as the breast or ovary.
The change seems to be triggered by the…
