Events

Cancer cells may develop the ability to rewire or reprogram themselves to become resistant to treatments that were previously effective. Drug resistance accounts for many cancer recurrences and associated deaths. Despite progress in understanding drug resistance over the last decade, knowledge gaps remain about the underlying biological causes of drug resistance and the design of cancer treatments to overcome it.

This recommendation aims to address these gaps through an interdisciplinary effort to determine targets for the development of new cancer treatments that prevent or overcome drug resistance. Research teams involved in this initiative will use new experimental models to comprehensively characterize sensitivities of drug resistant cancer cells using clinical samples taken before, during, and after treatment. In addition, the research teams will work to better understand the pathways and mechanisms that allow tumors to become resistant to a given treatment.

This national collaborative research will include both pediatric and adult tumor types and representation from minority and underserved populations, as each population may have resistance mechanisms that are unique.

Ultimately, the hope is that knowledge gained from this initiative will be used to develop more effective therapies—tailored to an individual’s condition—to overcome treatment resistance, as well as to identify biomarker signatures that will guide different cancer treatment options to prevent the development of drug resistance.

Speaker: Charles Sawyers, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center