Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms
08:46

Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms

Published on: December 9, 2015

Resistance--the true face of biological defiance

Nia Emami-Shahri1, Thorsten Hagemann

  • 1Barts Cancer Institute, John Vane Science Centre, London EC1M 6BQ, UK.

Rheumatology (Oxford, England)
|November 24, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Biological therapies are crucial for chronic inflammatory and malignant diseases, but treatment failure is common. This review clarifies mechanisms of resistance to biological agents to improve treatment efficacy and reduce disease burden.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Biological therapeutics are mainstays in treating chronic inflammatory and malignant diseases.
  • Treatment failure with biological agents is a significant clinical challenge.
  • Mechanisms underlying resistance to biologicals, including intrinsic and acquired resistance, are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of biological agent mechanisms of action.
  • To explore the complex biological processes contributing to treatment resistance.
  • To provide insights into improving the efficacy of biological therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of biological agents used in chronic inflammatory and malignant diseases.
  • Analysis of mechanisms of action for key biological therapeutics.
  • Synthesis of current knowledge on intrinsic and acquired resistance pathways.

Main Results:

  • Biological agents target specific pathways in immune and cancer cells.
  • Multiple intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms exist, often overlapping.
  • Understanding resistance is key to optimizing therapeutic strategies.

Conclusions:

  • Clarifying resistance mechanisms is essential for improving biological therapy outcomes.
  • Enhanced understanding can guide the development of novel therapeutic combinations.
  • More effective use of biologicals will ultimately reduce disease burden.

More Related Videos

Characterizing Herbivore Resistance Mechanisms: Spittlebugs on Brachiaria spp. as an Example06:52

Characterizing Herbivore Resistance Mechanisms: Spittlebugs on Brachiaria spp. as an Example

Published on: June 19, 2011

A Cell Culture Model of Resistance Arteries10:54

A Cell Culture Model of Resistance Arteries

Published on: September 8, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Resistance01:19

Resistance

When a current moves through any conductor, the conductor causes some level of difficulty for the current to flow. The measure of that difficulty is known as the resistance of the material and is represented by R. Every material has its own resistance. In the case of conductors, heat is emitted whenever a current passes through them. Resistance depends on the resistivity of the material. Resistivity is a characteristic of the material used to fabricate electrical components, whereas the...
Obedience01:08

Obedience

According to obedience research, we may harm others under the forceful pressures of an authority figure (Milgram, 1974). How about if the inappropriate orders were delivered with less force? The increasing interdependence between nurses and physicians compelled Hofling and his colleagues to explore nurses’ reactions to a potentially harmful medical request made by the perceived authority figure, the doctor (Hofling, Brotzman, Dalrymple, Graves, & Pierce, 1966). In this situation, obedience...
Transduction01:16

Transduction

Among the three main modes of HGT—transformation, conjugation, and transduction—transduction is unique in that it is mediated by bacteriophages, or bacterial viruses.Transduction occurs in two ways. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle of a bacteriophage infection. In this process, bacteriophages infect bacterial cells, replicate within them, and ultimately cause cell lysis, releasing newly assembled virions. Occasionally, random fragments of the bacterial genome are...
Treatment Resistant Cancers02:56

Treatment Resistant Cancers

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...
Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens01:31

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...
Development of Antibiotic Resistance01:30

Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern that arises when bacteria evolve mechanisms to withstand the effects of antibiotic treatments. This resistance can be intrinsic, acquired through genetic mutations, or transferred between bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. The development of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges in treating bacterial infections and necessitates ongoing research to develop new therapeutic strategies.Intrinsic resistance occurs when bacterial...