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Tailoring combinatorial cancer therapies to target the origins of adaptive resistance

Aaron Goldman1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Division of Biomedical Engineering ; Cambridge, MA USA.

Molecular & Cellular Oncology
|June 17, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Chemotherapy resistance is a major cause of cancer deaths. Our study unexpectedly found that cancer cells have vulnerabilities that can be targeted with drug combinations to overcome resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Chemotherapy resistance is a significant challenge in cancer treatment, leading to treatment failure and mortality.
  • Understanding the mechanisms underlying adaptive chemotherapy resistance is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origins of adaptive chemotherapy resistance.
  • To identify novel therapeutic targets and strategies for overcoming chemotherapy resistance.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved exploring the phenomenon of adaptive chemotherapy resistance.
  • The research unexpectedly uncovered inherent vulnerabilities in cancer cells during the investigation.

Main Results:

  • Inherent vulnerabilities were unmasked in cancer cells.
  • These vulnerabilities represent temporal targets for therapeutic intervention.

Conclusions:

  • Rational drug combinations targeting these newly identified vulnerabilities can be developed.
  • This approach holds promise for overcoming chemotherapy resistance and improving patient outcomes.
Keywords:
adaptive resistancecancer stem cellscomputational biologymathematical modelingtumor heterogeneity

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