Identification of Chemo and Radio-Resistant Sub-Population of Stem Cells in Human Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells

Background Cervical cancer ranks the second female malignancy after breast cancer. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are hard to be eradicated, so can recur. We aim to isolate and characterize CSCs from HeLa cells. Methods These cells express clusters of differentiation (CDs), 44 and 24, to be sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Results CD44 + CD24+ cells showed potential to form spheres, tumorigenicity, stemness genes and higher resistance to cisplatin, X-ray. Conclusion CD44+CD24+ HeLa cells hold characteristics of CSCs, in vitro, in vivo studies, suggested that targeting of them lead to screening of new anti-cancer therapies.