Donation towards a confocal microscope at Cardiff University
Cancer Research & Genetics UK have made a generous donation of £10,000 to fund the repairs needed for a broken confocal microscope and several fluorescent antibodies to be used in experiments carried out on the microscope.
Why do we need a confocal microscope?
Confocal microscopy plays an integral part of any discovery research project. At the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute (ECSCRI) at Cardiff University, we are united around a common goal – to identify and target cancer stem cells, which are present in all human tumours and are responsible for tumour recurrence, therapy resistance, metastasis and poor prognosis. Cancer stem cells are present in tumours in low numbers and are highly ‘plastic’, i.e., they readily change into different cell states, depending on factors in the tumour microenvironment. To target cancer stem cells, we need to understand how/when they emerge in a tumour and how they function in different tumour contexts and in response to therapies. Confocal microscopy is essential for this research because it allows us to see and ‘track’ cancer stem cells in a tumour/tissue in space and time. Using fluorescently tagged antibodies or reporters, we can label proteins specific to cancer stem cells and then image the cells in 2D and 3D tissues with high resolution. This is very powerful because by imaging cells in different tissue/tumour environments over time, we gain important insights into how cells function in tumours or in response to therapies. Understanding the cell biology of cancer helps us to discover new biomarkers of when and how cancer stem cells arise in a tumour, identifies ‘dangerous’ metastatic cells, and helps to reveal novel therapeutic targets.
The confocal microscope is an essential piece of equipment and is a ‘workhorse’ system for most cancer research projects within ECSCRI and the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University. A functioning system will support the day-to-day research of ongoing and future cancer discovery research and the research-led teaching of postgraduate and early career cancer researchers at ECSCRI. Current projects that will immediately benefit include: the study of early stages of pancreatic and lung cancers with view to identify novel biomarkers for early detection; harnessing a new therapeutic target of brain cancer stem cells (glioblastoma); targeting cancer stem cells in breast, prostate and gastric cancers using novel compounds; understanding how the tumour microenvironment supports tumour progression and therapeutic resistance in pancreas, lung, prostate and brain tumours; unravelling how lifestyle factors (e.g., high fat diets) impact on intestinal and pancreas health and increase cancer risk.