Ask AI: what characteristics and properties do cancer stem cells display and what experiment could be used to test for this

? Cancer stem cells are believed to be responsible for initiating, sustaining and driving the growth of tumors. They display several characteristics, such as self-renewal, differentiation into multiple cell types, and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Furthermore, they can undergo multiple rounds of division, resulting in the rapid expansion of tumor growth. A potential experiment for testing these properties of cancer stem cells would be to isolate and culture a population of these cells in a laboratory setting. Following this, one could then assess the ability of these cancer stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types using specific assays. Additionally, one could test the resistance of these cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy by treating them with a range of therapeutic agents and measuring the effect on their viability.