A team of researchers from Japan have developed a hydrogel that successfully reverted cancer cells back to cancer stem cells.
The Japanese scientists announced the development of the hydrogel, called "double network" (DN) gel and published their work in Nature Biomedical Engineering, according to the Deutsche Welle.
The team, led by Prof Jun Suzuka, found that their formulation can rapidly "reprogram" differentiated cancer cells into cancer stem cells.
That was about three years ago, in 2021.
Now, Chinese researchers have further investigated the technique for efficacy and safety, potentially allowing the hydrogel breakthough to help millions fight cancer.
Here's why it matters
Cancer is the leading cause of death in developed countries. More than 8 million people die from cancer annually worldwide.
The five-year survival rate of patients with advanced stage cancer it remains low.
One reason: cancer tissues contain cancer stem cells (CSC) which are resistant to chemotherapies and radiotherapies.
CSC are the reason tumours come back: they resist treatments, hide in the body, and restart cancer growth even after aggressive therapy.
This cancer cells can hide is “roots” or circulate in the body, causing cancer recurrence even after successful treatment.
Until now, they were extremely hard to isolate and study.
This hydrogel could change that.
By turning regular cancer cells back into cancer stem cells, scientists can now test new drugs, target weak points, and develop better therapies.
The Japanese research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, showed results in brain, lung, uterine, colon, bladder, and sarcoma cancer cells.
Cancer cell reprogramming
The research team investigated whether their DN gel could re-create the right conditions to induce cancerous stem cells.
What the gel contains
The DN gel consists of a network of two chemicals and incorporates a high volume of water, giving it soft and wet characteristics resembling biological tissues.
With it, the researchers uncovered something that left them stumped: some of the molecular mechanisms involved in cancer cell reprogramming emerged.
What the research involved
In the study, scientists placed gel cancer cells on the DN gel. Upon doing this, they found the cancer cells started to form spherical structures and produce specific molecules known to be markers of cancer stem cells.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a major challenge in cancer treatment because they can start tumours, spread cancer to other parts of the body, resist therapy, and cause cancer to return.
Researchers investigate hydrogels
Further research into hydrogels — soft, 3D materials that hold and slowly release drugs — could offer a promising solution to the global cancer menace.
In a 2024 research published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Chinese scientists led by Dr Fashun Li, of the Department of Spinal Surgery, of Qingdao University hospital, also investigated hydrogels.
They replicated the Japanese experiment: when hydrogels carry medicine directly to CSCs, they can also grow and identify CSCs by transforming regular cancer cells into stem-like ones.
Because hydrogels mimic the natural environment of cells, including their stiffness and structure, they can influence how CSCs form and behave.
The Chinese researchers also laid out specific targetting strategies for CSCs including viral vectors, liposome and the use of modified nanoparticles.
Specifically, they highlighted the advantages of “nano-drug carriers”, which help achieve slow release and controlled effects of encapsulated drugs in hitting specific cancer cells.
Cancer stem cells (CSC) are different from regular cancer cells—they have high levels of certain surface markers (like CD44, CD90, CD133) and activate special cell pathways. Although some modern drug delivery systems (DDS) can target CSCs, these cells are hard to isolate and treat because they vary widely and resist many drugs.
More research
A number of research teams are currently looking strategies to target CSCs and how hydrogels could improve CSC detection and treatment.
In the future, hydrogel-based therapies may enhance cancer cell type diagnosis, help create more precise and effective cancer treatments by directly targeting cancer stem cells.
