Dr John Stingl

Dr John Stingl

Mammary Stem Cell Laboratory
Cambridge Research Institute
Cambridge

Studying stem cells in breast cancer

Dr John Stingl runs the Mammary Stem Cell Laboratory at our Cambridge Research Institute. His team is studying stem cells that fuel the growth of breast cancer. Understanding these elusive cells will lead to more effective treatments for this disease in the future.

In recent years, researchers have discovered that rogue stem cells may be at the heart of several different types of cancer, including bowel cancer and leukaemia. Dr Stingl is investigating ways to identify and purify the stem cells that give rise to breast cancer.

He and his team are studying the patterns of gene activity in these stem cells, in order to understand what drives them to multiply out of control and form tumours.

Because cancer stem cells are more resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy than the cells that make up the 'bulk' of a tumour, they can cause cancers to grow again after treatment. Dr Stingl hopes that his work will lead to more effective ways to treat breast cancer, by tackling the stem cells that lie at the heart of many forms of the disease.

Listen to an audio package featuring Dr Stingl talking about breast cancer stem cells:

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