Figure 3

Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) Discovery pipeline. This figure illustrates the CSC discovery process. A) First, CSCs must be identified within a heterogeneous population of cells. As outlined in this review, CD133+, ALDH+ and HSP+ are the most successfully used ovarian CSC markers to date. Any CSCs identified must be considered putative CSCs (pCSCs) until they are validated as being capable of self-renewal, differentiation and the generation of a tumor with similar histology to that from which they were derived. B) Such pCSCs must be isolated to facilitate their validation. Fluorescence-activated and/or magnetic-activated cell sorting are commonly used to isolate pCSCs from non-pCSCs. C) Isolated cells can be validated by being assayed for tumorigenesis properties via xenograftment into mice, while their ability to self-renew and differentiate can be assayed via single cell asymmetric division assays.