Benjamin McGrath

WHAT I KNEW/WANTED TO KNOW

Cancer research is a very relevant topic in todays society due to the number of cancer
deaths is rising uncontrollably each and every year. However, such a relevant topic has no cure
despite the countless hours that thousands of scientists have spent researching. Not to mention
that, the methods used to treat cancer, such as chemo-therapy, are ineffective and provide the
patient with false hope. I would know about the inefficiency of chemo-therapy because, in
February 2012, my grandmother lost her fight with pancreatic cancer after receiving chemotherapy.
My grandmother was first diagnosed in August 2011 with late stage pancreatic cancer.
We were informed that pancreatic cancer was a highly aggressive form of cancer and that she
only had a month to live. We did everything we could to save her and she never gave up fighting.
After a few months of fighting, we were shocked to find out that she was recovering. In late
January 2012, my grandmother, after undergoing chemo-therapy and other procedures, was
pronounced to be cured of cancer. The family was ecstatic, until a week later when she had organ
failure. As soon as my family heard this, my mother and I drove to see my grandmother in her
final moments. Not soon after we left, we received a call saying that my grandmother had passed
away. After hearing this, I was furious and confused. How was it that one week my grandmother
is cancer free and the next she is experiencing organ failure from pancreatic cancer? This sparked
my initial interest in cancer research.
Along my educational journey, I heard about genetically engineering stem cells. I knew
that stem cells were endlessly replicating and unprogrammed cells. As I heard more and more
about stem cells, I could not ignore the similarities between stem and cancer cells. I thought that
genetically engineered stem cells could be created in such a way that they would destroy cancer
cells. This led me to my research question: Can stem cells be used to cure cancer?
THE SEARCH
At first, I thought I knew the basics of cancer and stem cells, but Google proved me
wrong. The first article1 that I found took an in depth look at cancerous stem cells inside of a

colon. I understood less than one paragraph of it. However, I was fascinated on the idea of
cancerous stem cells. I thought that stem and cancer cells were completely independent of each
other. This topic of cancerous stem cells led me to my other sources and laid the foundation for
my research. Yet, I first needed to answer the question: What are cancerous stem cells?
After some preliminary research, I was sure that this time I knew enough of the basics to
comprehend the concepts of cancerous stem cells, but again Google proved me wrong. The
second article2 that I found was easier to understand and more practical. However, this article
kept referring to an endless number of cell surface markers which were easily confused with
each other. At this point, I stopped and began to reconsider what information I truly knew about
this topic. Therefore, I decided to research two broad questions to give me a solid background:
How is cancer created? and What gives cancer and stem cells their ability to self-renew?
I found the creation of cancer cells to be very interesting. Cancerous cells are created
from normal somatic cells which experience changes in DNA. The changes in DNA that cause
cancer can occur either from environmental alterations or through spontaneous natural genetic
alterations. Much is still unknown about the creation of malignant cancer after years of research
and many are still theorizing about different ways that cancer can be acquired.
Self-renewal in stem and cancer cells is caused by Telomerase. Telomerase is an enzyme
found in stem and cancerous cells which repair the telomeres of the cell's chromosomes after
each division. Telomeres are located at the end each chromosome and deteriorate slowly after
each division. Telomeres are believed to be a key contributor in aging and thus telomerase allows
cells to divide indefinitely without aging. In these articles3, 4, 5, I found it fascinating out one
enzyme could be crucial in creating and destroying life. When I searched form telomerase, stem
cells, and cancer in Google scholar, I was overwhelmed by how many results popped up with
recent research. Telomerase's availability in stem cells provide scientists with an apt tool for
researching cancer.

Without a doubt, this time I had to know the information needed to understand cancerous
stem cells. Fortunately, Google confirmed this. Once I searched for cancerous stem cell theory
on Google scholar, I found the holy grail of my research. This article6 by Cell Press gave me a
comprehensive overview of the growth of the cancerous stem cell model from 2006 to 2014,
when the article was published. This article provided me with the vast information that I
originally looked for, but I could follow it easily and presented diagrams for each alteration to
the theory. The compilation of the previous six articles have given me enough information to
accurately answer my research question.
THE RESULTS
Cancer research is a very relevant topic in todays society due to the number of cancer
deaths is rising uncontrollably each and every year. However, such a relevant topic has no cure
despite the countless hours that thousands of scientists have spent researching. Not to mention
that, the methods used to treat cancer, such as chemo-therapy, are ineffective and provide the
patient with false hope. Cancer must be defeated to ensure a safe and healthy future for the next
generations. I researched how stem cells could be used in the fight against cancer.
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are widely present in embryos and scarcely
available in adults1. Stem cells can be differentiated into any functional cell in the human body
and are key for organ development. Stem cells possess a property known as self-renewal which
allows them to replicate indefinitely. Traditionally, stem cells were very hard to obtain for
research purposes, yet recent research had started genetically engineering stem cells identical to
those in embryos.
Cancer is a malignant disease which manifests in the host as a tumor or mass of
cancerous cells. Cancerous cells are created from normal somatic cells which experience changes
in DNA, yet much is still unknown about the creation of malignant cancer after years of research.
Cancerous cells do not directly attack or try to infect other cells, unlike a virus. However, the

rapid growth of these cells can inhibit other cells from receiving resources that they need.
Cancerous tumors can form within the tissue of organs and prevent the organs from doing their
desired function. The rapid growth of cancerous cells is due to self-renewal similar to that of
stem cells.
The property of self-renewal or stemness is due to the presence of telomerase in a cell3, 4,
5

. Telomerase is an enzyme found in stem and cancerous cells which repair the telomeres of the

cell's chromosomes after each division. Telomeres are located at the end each chromosome and
break down slowly after each division. Telomeres are believed to be a key contributor in aging.
Thus, telomerase prevents cell aging. It is fascinating how one enzyme could be crucial in
creating and destroying life.
In 2006, the face of cancer research changed as a result of the cancerous stem cell
theory6. The cancerous stem cell theory has changed drastically over time, yet some crucial
details remain the same. Cancerous Stem Cells (CSCs) inhabit the central portion of the tumor
and replicate indefinitely. CSCs cause the growth of a cancer tumor, whereas non-CSCs do not.
The ratio of CSCs to non-CSCs in the tumor increases as the tumor develops. Some CSCs
remain dormant at all times within the tumor and do not replicate. Dormant CSCs will only
become active again once the tumor has reached a critically small size. While dormant, these
have the ability to survive treatments such as chemotherapy. The diversity of CSCs can change
as the tumor evolves or as a tumor is treated with procedures such as chemo.
As the probability of the cancerous stem cell theory becoming accepted increases every
day, research on non-CSCs will not provide scientists with an appropriate tool to conduct
research on. With the availability of stem cells do to genetic engineering, stem cell research will
become the best way to research cancer. Thus, the research of stem cells can be used to fight and
possibly cure cancer.
MY GROWTH AS A RESEARCHER

This experience was the first time that I had ever conducted serious research on a topic
that I was interested in. I loved the research itself and growing my knowledge on my desired
subject, yet I did not like the blog. The blog felt very tedious and unnecessary to me. However,
after writing this paper, I can see in retrospect how the blog has helped me and was key to my
research. I have learned that you will not understand everything that you learn. It took me three
separate articles to understand what the first one meant. This research has also shown me the
importance of time management as I never had the opportunity to conduct an interview with a
professional nor did I have time to find another one. This research has vastly grown my
understanding of proper research and has better prepared me to take on my senior project.

CITED REFERENCES
1. Yu Z., Pestell T.G., Lisanti M.P., Pestell R.G. Cancer Stem Cells. The international journal of
biochemistry & cell biology. 2012 May [accessed 2016 Jan 5].
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3496019/
2. Wang K., Wu X., Wang J., Huang J. Cancer stem cell theory: therapeutic implications for
nanomedicine. Cancer stem cell theory: therapeutic implications for nanomedicine. 2012 Dec 31
[accessed 2016 Jan 5].
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/jian_huang55/publication/235881669_cancer_stem_cell_the
ory_therapeutic_implications_for_nanomedicine/links/55912af908ae47a3490f065e.pdf
3. Mocellin S., Pooley K.A., Nitti D. Telomerase and the search for the end of cancer. 2013 Feb
28 [accessed 2016 Feb 8].
http://courses.bio.unc.edu/2013spring/biol445/reviewsmarch7/telomerasereview.pdf
4. Smekalova E.M., Shubernetskaya O.S., Zvereva M.I., Gromenko E.V., Rubtsova M.P.,
Dontsova O.A. Telomerase RNA Biosynthesis and Processing. 2012 Apr 13 [accessed 2016 Feb
8]. http://2.mol.bio.msu.ru/biokhimiya/contents/v77/pdf/bcm_1120.pdf
5. Nandakumar J, Cech T.R. Finding the end: recruitment of telomerase to telomeres. 2013 Feb
[accessed 2016 Feb 8]. http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v14/n2/full/nrm3505.html
6. Kreso A, Dick J.E. Evolution of the Cancer Stem Cell Model. Science Direct. 2014 Mar 6
[accessed 2016 Mar 10]. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s1934590914000575