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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models
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Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models

Published on: December 9, 2016

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The role of alternative splicing in cancer drug resistance

Zahava Siegfried1, Rotem Karni1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|October 29, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Cancer patients often develop drug resistance, leading to treatment failure. Alternative splicing in cancer can create new drug targets, suggesting splicing modulation therapy as a potential strategy to overcome resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cancer treatment failure is frequently caused by drug resistance.
  • Alternative splicing, a process altering gene products, can significantly impact cancer drug targets.
  • Understanding splicing's role in resistance is crucial for developing effective therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the role of alternative splicing in cancer therapy resistance.
  • To identify alternative splicing events as potential therapeutic targets.
  • To propose splicing modulation as a strategy to overcome cancer drug resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on alternative splicing in various cancers.
  • Analysis of reported alternative splicing events contributing to drug resistance.
  • Examination of existing splicing modulation therapies for other diseases.

Main Results:

  • Several examples demonstrate alternative splicing events in cancers contributing to therapeutic resistance.
  • These splicing alterations can modify drug targets, leading to treatment failure.
  • Alternative splicing is a significant mechanism underlying cancer drug resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Alternative splicing represents a key mechanism driving cancer therapy resistance.
  • Splicing modulation therapy, successful in other diseases, holds promise for combating cancer resistance.
  • Targeting alternative splicing offers a novel therapeutic avenue for overcoming treatment failure in cancer.

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