By Bradley J. Fikes U-T5:07 a.m.Nov. 5, 2014

A small fraction of cancer cells is responsible for spreading tumors to distant points of the body, according to a growing amount of scientific evidence. These cells, often called cancer stem cells, have become the target of intense research in recent years.

Most cancer cells dont appear to have the property of metastasis. They just stay in the tumor. And while primary tumors cause problems, oncologists said metastatic tumors are the real killers. They can lodge in critical places such as the lung, liver and brain.

Failure to eliminate cancer stem cells during treatment may be a big reason why many cancers return after remission. If so, then all those cells must be destroyed, with as little damage as possible to normal cells. Detecting and genetically analyzing cancer stem cells could provide clues to more-effective treatments.

After Jeff Allens wife died of cancer in 2012, the analytical biochemist put his training to work in learning more about the disease.

Doing so was initially a hobby, he said. As time progressed, it became more than a hobby. It became a downright obsession. I got angry at cancer, and as the years went by, I became frustrated with the slow pace of new weapons against it.

Allen, whose background includes development of molecular diagnostic devices, began studying how cancer treatment could be improved.

Now he and his sons, Alexander and Austin, said theyve designed a device that can detect the most dangerous cancer cells, often called cancer stem cells. The device is still in the concept phase, but local scientists who have looked at the technology think its feasible.

The device is envisioned as a microchip that examines a patients blood sample to identify and isolate cancer stem cells. Once captured, these cells would be genetically sequenced to find the mutations driving the cancer. Then doctors could prescribe the most customized treatment based on this more rigorous analysis.

To carry out his plan, Allen is seeking $50,000 through the crowdfunding site gofundme.com, at gofundme.com/7mznuo. He also has formed a company, TumorGen MDx.

More here:
SPOTTING CANCER IN STEM CELLS