Isolation and Culturing of Glioma Cancer Stem Cells.

In many human cancers including malignant glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), cancer stem cells (CSCs) are thought to be responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and resistance to conventional anti-cancer therapies. Therefore, a CSC-targeted drug delivery strategy to eliminate CSCs is a desirable approach for developing a more effective therapeutic. Moreover, isolated CSCs will provide an invaluable tool for studying the underlying cellular mechanisms of tumor development and provide insight into therapeutic options for successful eradication of CSCs. This unit describes a method for the isolation and culture of CSCs from human GBM tumor tissue.