September 11, 2014 at 5:04 pm

A&S TV: Cancer Stem Cells, And Why They Are So Dangerous

“Why we care so much about the cancer stem cell is that, as far as we can tell, they are very resistant to traditional radiotherapies and traditional chemotherapies that are used to treat your loved ones should they be diagnosed with cancer,” said Dr. Monica Burdick at her Science Café on Sept. 10.

“You’ve got these nasty little cells that can’t be killed by our traditional therapies. They don’t just survive beyond the initial treatment phase. They sort of hang out dormant, waiting for some other biochemical or biophysical cue to turn on. And when they get turned on, they start making that new tumor,” she said. Burdick is Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Ohio University.

Watch on A&S TV and learn more about the research being conducted on cancer stem cells in Burdick’s lab.

Science Cafés and Café Conversations are held at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays in the Baker Center Front Room. Free coffee is provided for the first 50 people. Both cafés are venues for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting. The Science Cafe is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental and Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The two series are sponsored by the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Café events are free and open to students, faculty and staff. Both cafés are venues for students to share their interests informally during a conversation exchange in a friendly setting. The Science Cafe is hosted by Dr. Sarah Wyatt, Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology and Vice President of the Ohio University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The two series are sponsored by the Ohio University chapter of Sigma Xi and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Find the Science Café on Facebook and Twitter.