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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Using RNA-sequencing to Detect Novel Splice Variants Related to Drug Resistance in In Vitro Cancer Models
Published on: December 9, 2016
DRIVE: a comprehensive resource deciphering drug-induced transcriptomic and splicing response in cancer cell
Tao Wu1, Hong-Feng Tang2, Wei-Liang Wang3
1Department of Dermatology, Yangjiang People's Hospital affiliated to Guangdong Medical University, Yangjiang, Guangdong, China; The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Shunde), Foshan, Guangdong, China.
Abstract:
Pharmacotherapy induces complex molecular reprogramming in cancer, driving transcriptome-wide alterations and widespread dysregulation of alternative splicing. Despite these profound changes, there remain limited resources characterizing drug-induced whole-transcriptomic responses in cancer. Furthermore, while aberrant splicing can generate immunogenic neoantigens, existing resources fail to systematically integrate drug perturbations, splicing dynamics, and neoantigen landscapes. To address this gap, the DRIVE database was constructed as a comprehensive resource detailing drug-induced transcriptomic and splicing responses. Utilizing the large language models for rigorous metadata curation and construct the standardized processing pipeline, thousands of publicly available raw transcriptomic datasets from drug-treated and control cancer cell lines were systematically processed. The resulting repository encompasses 3,911 samples, involving 278 drugs and 272 cell lines, enabling the precise quantification of differential gene expression, differential alternative splicing events, and the prediction of splicing-derived human leukocyte antigen-binding peptides. Analysis of the data revealed that drug-induced transcriptomic reprogramming is highly context-dependent and correlated with chemical structural similarity. We identified Osimertinib as a potential immunomodulatory agent associated with transcriptional signatures of an activated tumor microenvironment, while KB-0742 emerged as an unappreciated candidate global splicing modulator. Furthermore, our large-scale prediction of differential splicing-derived neoantigens uncovered several drugs that warrant further investigation as candidates for combination immunotherapy. DRIVE also provides a user-friendly interface to browse datasets, perform drug enrichment and connectivity analysis. (https://componclab.com/DRIVE). This database could improve our understanding of molecular reprogramming under pharmacotherapy, and serve as a valuable platform for deciphering drug mechanisms, promoting virtual cell modeling and discovering novel strategies of drug repurposing.
Insights
The DRIVE database offers a comprehensive resource on drug-induced cancer cell changes, revealing context-dependent responses and identifying potential immunomodulatory drugs and splicing modulators for combination immunotherapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Computational Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pharmacotherapy causes significant molecular changes in cancer, including altered gene expression and alternative splicing.
- Existing resources lack comprehensive data on drug-induced transcriptomic and splicing alterations, hindering neoantigen landscape analysis.
- Aberrant splicing can create neoantigens, but integrating drug effects with splicing and neoantigen data is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create the DRIVE database, a resource detailing drug-induced transcriptomic and splicing responses in cancer.
- To systematically analyze drug perturbations, splicing dynamics, and neoantigen generation.
- To provide a platform for understanding drug mechanisms and discovering novel therapeutic strategies.
Main Methods:
- Processed thousands of public transcriptomic datasets from drug-treated and control cancer cell lines.
- Utilized large language models for metadata curation and a standardized processing pipeline.
- Quantified differential gene expression, alternative splicing events, and predicted HLA-binding peptides.
Main Results:
- The DRIVE database contains 3,911 samples across 278 drugs and 272 cell lines.
- Drug-induced transcriptomic reprogramming is context-dependent and correlates with chemical structure.
- Identified Osimertinib as a potential immunomodulator and KB-0742 as a splicing modulator.
- Predicted numerous drugs as candidates for combination immunotherapy based on neoantigen generation.
Conclusions:
- DRIVE enhances understanding of pharmacotherapy-induced molecular reprogramming in cancer.
- The database serves as a platform for deciphering drug mechanisms and drug repurposing.
- Identified specific drugs with potential for immunomodulation and combination immunotherapy.
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