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Transformation

Transformation

Microbial communities are dynamic environments where cell lysis releases free DNA into the surroundings. Other cells can take up this extracellular DNA through a process known as transformation.When a cell incorporates this foreign DNA into its genome, resulting in genetic modification, the process is known as transformation. Cells capable of this process are termed competent. Competence can be natural, as observed in certain bacteria and archaea, or artificially induced in the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 29, 2026

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Published on: September 24, 2020

Dissecting histological transformation.

Ethan M Earlie¹, Eric E Gardner², Harold Varmus³

¹Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Systems & Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

Trends in Cancer

|March 27, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cancer can adapt and change into a new type, called histological transformation (HT), especially after targeted therapy. This adaptive cancer is hard to treat and may spread, requiring new research methods.

Keywords:

acquired resistance cellular adaptation histological transformation

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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2026

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

In Vitro Evaluation of Oncogenic Transformation in Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Published on: September 24, 2020

Enhancing Tumor Content through Tumor Macrodissection

Enhancing Tumor Content through Tumor Macrodissection

Published on: February 12, 2022

Heterokaryon Technique for Analysis of Cell Type-specific Localization

Heterokaryon Technique for Analysis of Cell Type-specific Localization

Published on: March 11, 2011

Area of Science:

Oncology
Cancer Biology
Translational Medicine

Background:

Cancer's adaptive nature poses a significant challenge to achieving lasting treatment success.
Histological transformation (HT) involves a cancer changing into a distinct tumor type, often post-targeted therapy.
HT cancers are refractory to initial treatments, may exhibit increased metastatic potential, and are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the growing clinical challenge of histological transformation (HT) in cancer.
To emphasize the need for advanced research tools to study HT.
To propose leveraging modern experimental and analytical techniques to better understand and manage HT cancers.

Main Methods:

This study proposes the use of modern experimental and analytical tools.
Focus on dissecting the phenomena of histological transformation.
Leveraging advanced techniques to study treatment-resistant cancers.

Main Results:

Histological transformation (HT) results in cancers that are no longer driven by the initial oncogenic pathway.
These transformed cancers are therapeutically recalcitrant and often highly metastatic.
Current understanding of HT is limited due to technical difficulties in studying the process.

Conclusions:

Histological transformation represents a critical mechanism of therapeutic resistance in cancer.
Advancements in experimental and analytical tools offer a promising avenue for future research.
Improved understanding of HT is essential for developing effective clinical management strategies for adaptive cancers.