The remaining MDA cells that were isolated by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) negative using CD90 (Supplementary Figure S1), a marker of hMSCs, showed the decreased expression of CD44 (Figure 1b) – a marker for cancer-initiating cells.26, 27 In addition, MDA cells exhibited less migration and invasive properties after coculture with act hMSCs (Figures 1c–f). This evidence concerns the gene CD44 and cancer.