Uploaded February 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Excerpt from Brain Works 2013, a free community event from Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Register for our next brain innovation event at: bjhne.ws/xg
In this portion of the Brain Works presentation, neurosurgeons Dr. Eric Leuthardt and Dr. Albert Kim talk about brain tumors and research that they are doing to find a cure using brain tumor stem cells.
To find a cure for brain tumors, doctors need a better understanding of how cancer cells behave. According to Dr. Kim, cancer is like a conspiracy against your own body. When cells mutate, and essentially become deregulated, they stop listening to your body and they can grow out of control.
Cancer stem cells have nothing to do with embryonic stem cells or babies or fetal stem cells. They exist along with normal cells, but unlike the normal cells, they are more difficult to treat with regular cancer therapies. They can proliferate over time and cause tumor re-growth or recurrence.
By recreating cancer stem cells in a lab setting, Dr. Kim essentially gets a virtual chance to treat these tumors in a number of different ways, helping build the foundation for future therapies.
Excerpt from Brain Works 2013, a free community event from Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Register for our next brain innovation event at: bjhne.ws/xg
In this portion of the Brain Works presentation, neurosurgeons Dr. Eric Leuthardt and Dr. Albert Kim talk about brain tumors and research that they are doing to find a cure using brain tumor stem cells.
To find a cure for brain tumors, doctors need a better understanding of how cancer cells behave. According to Dr. Kim, cancer is like a conspiracy against your own body. When cells mutate, and essentially become deregulated, they stop listening to your body and they can grow out of control.
Cancer stem cells have nothing to do with embryonic stem cells or babies or fetal stem cells. They exist along with normal cells, but unlike the normal cells, they are more difficult to treat with regular cancer therapies. They can proliferate over time and cause tumor re-growth or recurrence.
By recreating cancer stem cells in a lab setting, Dr. Kim essentially gets a virtual chance to treat these tumors in a number of different ways, helping build the foundation for future therapies.
