Some Cells Survive Attempted Suicide By Denise Montell

The article “Some Cells Survive Attempted Suicide” discusses the research conducted by cell biologist Denise Montell of the University of California, Santa Barbara about the new studies found about anastasis. Montell and others are just figuring out how the process works, however results indicate that cells start killing themselves simultaneously and hold on to a “lifeline” in case conditions were to improve. It was previously known, or thought, that once a cell undergoes apoptosis, an “executioner” molecule would kill the cell, but sometimes cells “call off” the suicide even when the executioner molecule has begun its work. In 2008, Ho Lam Tang from the University of Hong Kong named this new process anastasis, meaning “rising to life” in Greek.

Waslczak, a cell biologist at Indiana University in Bloomington said “It’s a really nice illustration of how adaptable cells are.” The experiment that led to the discovery began by treating an immortal type of cancer cell with a drug that stimulates apoptosis. The drug was washed away when the cells started dying, however, some of the cells were recovered. Montell also discovered that the cells that essentially “Come back to life” will never go back to their beginning state and will be permanently “scarred” or damaged, with memories of their near-death experiences. For cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, anastasis may not be as good as for healthy cells. During cancer treatment, all cancerous cells are wanted to be destroyed but with anastasis, some of these cancerous cells may not be fully destroyed. Anastasis may bring back the cancer that seems to have gone away after chemotherapy, causing cancer treatment