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More than 30 retroviral oncogenes have been discovered, and these predominantly function to control cellular signalling and replication. This Timeline article discusses a few of these oncogenes that are crucial in human cancer and that best illustrate the history of experimental and theoretical breakthroughs in this field.
This Timeline article focuses on the ERBB network of receptor tyrosine kinases, which exemplifies how a constant dialogue between basic and clinical cancer research can lead to the development of both novel drugs and strategies to overcome acquired resistance.
There is increasing debate about what is meant by the term 'cancer stem cell' (CSC) and the degree to which the concept of CSCs can provide insights into cancer biology and therapy. This Timeline article traces the historical milestones in normal and cancer stem cell biology as a backdrop to a discussion of how these fields have informed each other.