by Benjamin Thompson & Shamini Bundell – Nature
A stem cell vital for vertebral growth also drives spine metastases, and the use of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD.
Cancer cells can spread to bones in the late stages of disease and in many cancers, cells actually preferentially metastasize to the spine. The reason for this has been a puzzle to researchers for years, but now a team has found a new kind of stem cell that might be involved in this process. The stem cell is found in mice and humans and could represent a clinical target in the treatment of cancer.