Department of Oncology

 

Basic Laboratory Research Themes in Oncology

Stem Cell Research

Stem cells are the human body's master cells, with the ability to grow into any one of the body's more than 200 cell types.

All stem cells are unspecialised (undifferentiated) cells that are characteristically of the same family type (lineage). They retain the ability to renew themselves throughout life, through cell division and are able to give rise to a wide range of highly specialised cell types in response to cellular signals.

Stem cells contribute to the body's ability to renew and repair it's tissues. Unlike mature cells, which are permanently committed to their fate, stem cells can both renew themselves as well as create new cells of whatever tissue they belong to (and other tissues in some circumstances). Stem cells therefore have the potential to provide treatments for a large variety of human diseases, e.g. cancer, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Departmental stem cell research focuses on understanding normal tissue regulation and the mechanisms by which stem cells differentiate into their defined cell types.


Research projects within this thematic includes: