Evidence mapPaperPMID 40868290Full record

ReviewBiomedicines2025

Transcriptomic Comparisons of Somatic and Cancer Stem Cells.

Austin Drysch, Arun Ahuja, Dillan Prasad, Rishi Jain, Sharbel Romanos, Amr Alwakeal, Christopher Ahuja

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Biomedicines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Austin DryschDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5586-1367
Arun AhujaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-8242-6020
Dillan PrasadDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Rishi JainDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4459-5504
Sharbel RomanosDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Amr AlwakealDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5440-3874
Christopher AhujaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9910-148X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Stem cells are essential for tissue maintenance, repair, and regeneration, yet their dysregulation gives rise to cancer stem cells (CSCs), which drive tumor progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Despite extensive research on stemness and oncogenesis, a critical gap remains in our understanding of how the transcriptomic landscapes of normal somatic stem cells (SSCs) diverge from those of CSCs to enable malignancy. This review synthesizes current knowledge of the key signaling pathways (Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, TGF-β), transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, c-Myc, YAP/TAZ), and epigenetic mechanisms (chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, microRNA regulation) that govern stemness in SSCs and are hijacked or dysregulated in CSCs. We highlight how context-specific modulation of these pathways distinguishes physiological regeneration from tumorigenesis. Importantly, we discuss the role of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cellular plasticity, and microenvironmental cues in reprogramming and maintaining CSC phenotypes. By integrating transcriptomic and epigenetic insights across cancer biology and regenerative medicine, this review provides a framework for identifying vulnerabilities specific to CSCs while still preserving normal stem cell function. Understanding these distinctions is essential for the development of targeted therapies that minimize damage to healthy tissues and advance precision oncology.

Indexed as

cancer stem cellsprecision medicineregenerative medicinesignaling pathwayssomatic stem cellsstemnesstranscriptomicstumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40868290
PMCPMC12383795

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.