A tumor consists of rare subsets of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and a primary population of normal tumor cells (non CSCs). The CSCs can self-renew, differentiate and proliferate indefinitely. These features enable them to resist chemotherapy and cause the recurrence, metastasis and malignancy of tumors. Conventional chemo- and radio therapy can only eliminate non-CSCs, but not CSCs, which leads to cancer relapse. Thus, it is vital to selectively identify and study rare subsets of CSCs in situ in the tumors at a single-cell resolution in order to understand their roles in cancers and to achieve early detection and effective treatment of cancer. Current methods cannot effectively identify single CSCs in situ in real-time. Thus, their functions remain largely unknown. We have developed a set of powerful new tools, including photostable single molecule optical nanoparticle biosensors (SMNOBS) and photostable optical nanoscopy (PHOTON) to identify rare subsets of single CSCs in highly heterogeneous tumor cells in situ in real-time, aiming to study their functions. The detailed experimental designs and results will be presented.

Real-time imaging and sensing of single cancer stem cells

254th National Meeting (2017)

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