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Drug Resistance in Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Tackling Strategies 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2024 | Viewed by 4123

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Interests: drug resistance; Ewing sarcoma; ovarian cancer; ABCB1; LSD1; TP53
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a highly complex, adaptive condition that can rapidly develop new phenotypic and genotypic profiles to circumvent therapy. Drug resistance threatens the longevity of drugs and restricts the treatment options for patients, and it is highly common in oncology and infectious diseases. The emergence of drug resistance remains the largest impediment in the quest for a curative cancer treatment, with an estimated 90% of all cancer-related deaths being attributed to chemoresistance. The rapidity with which cancer cells can develop resistance to both classical chemotherapy and targeted agents is startling. With the knowledge that each cubic centimeter of a tumour contains up to one billion cancer cells, novel insights into both primary and acquired resistance mechanisms, including drug detoxification, alterations in drug targets, genomic/epigenetic instability, increased ability to repair DNA damage, reduced susceptibility to apoptosis, as well as the influence of the tumour microenvironment and clonal cooperation, are required to substantially alter therapeutic treatment practices and increase the overall survival rates. Some of these resistance pathways lead to multidrug resistance, generating an increasingly challenging clinical problem.

This Special Issue of IJMS will highlight the recent advances in drug resistance, particularly novel mechanisms and targeted strategies to tackle this global medicine concern. Experimental papers, up-to-date review articles, and commentaries are all welcome.

Dr. Kathleen Pishas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • apoptosis
  • cancer
  • clinical trials
  • chemotherapy
  • drug metabolism
  • drug resistance
  • drug delivery
  • heterogeneity
  • immunotherapy
  • microenvironment

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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21 pages, 9751 KiB  
Article
A Stem-like Patient-Derived Ovarian Cancer Model of Platinum Resistance Reveals Dissociation of Stemness and Resistance
by Tise Suzuki, Ashlyn Conant, Yeonkyu Jung, Ryan Bax, Ashley Antonissen, Wanqiu Chen, Gary Yu, Yevgeniya J. Ioffe, Charles Wang and Juli J. Unternaehrer
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073843 - 29 Mar 2024
Viewed by 654
Abstract
To understand chemoresistance in the context of cancer stem cells (CSC), a cisplatin resistance model was developed using a high-grade serous ovarian cancer patient-derived, cisplatin-sensitive sample, PDX4. As a molecular subtype-specific stem-like cell line, PDX4 was selected for its representative features, including its [...] Read more.
To understand chemoresistance in the context of cancer stem cells (CSC), a cisplatin resistance model was developed using a high-grade serous ovarian cancer patient-derived, cisplatin-sensitive sample, PDX4. As a molecular subtype-specific stem-like cell line, PDX4 was selected for its representative features, including its histopathological and BRCA2 mutation status, and exposed to cisplatin in vitro. In the cisplatin-resistant cells, transcriptomics were carried out, and cell morphology, protein expression, and functional status were characterized. Additionally, potential signaling pathways involved in cisplatin resistance were explored. Our findings reveal the presence of distinct molecular signatures and phenotypic changes in cisplatin-resistant PDX4 compared to their sensitive counterparts. Surprisingly, we observed that chemoresistance was not inherently linked with increased stemness. In fact, although resistant cells expressed a combination of EMT and stemness markers, functional assays revealed that they were less proliferative, migratory, and clonogenic–features indicative of an underlying complex mechanism for cell survival. Furthermore, DNA damage tolerance and cellular stress management pathways were enriched. This novel, syngeneic model provides a valuable platform for investigating the underlying mechanisms of cisplatin resistance in a clinically relevant context, contributing to the development of targeted therapies tailored to combat resistance in stem-like ovarian cancer. Full article
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22 pages, 694 KiB  
Review
Treatment of Double-Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia—An Unmet Clinical Need
by Przemysław Zygmunciak, Tadeusz Robak and Bartosz Puła
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1589; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031589 - 27 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1671
Abstract
Recent years have seen significant improvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) management. Targeting B-cell lymphoma (BCL-2) and Bruton’s kinase (BTK) have become the main strategies to restrain CLL activity. These agents are generally well tolerated, but the discontinuation of these therapies happens due [...] Read more.
Recent years have seen significant improvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) management. Targeting B-cell lymphoma (BCL-2) and Bruton’s kinase (BTK) have become the main strategies to restrain CLL activity. These agents are generally well tolerated, but the discontinuation of these therapies happens due to resistance, adverse effects, and Richter’s transformation. A growing population of patients who have previously used both BTK inhibitors and BCL2 suffer from the constriction of the following regimens. This review explores the resistance mechanisms for both ibrutinib and venetoclax. Moreover, we present innovative approaches evaluated for treating double-refractory CLL. Full article
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14 pages, 708 KiB  
Review
Emerging Roles of YES1 in Cancer: The Putative Target in Drug Resistance
by Eunjin Kook, Kyung-Soo Chun and Do-Hee Kim
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1450; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031450 - 25 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1364
Abstract
Src family kinases (SFKs) are non-receptor tyrosine kinases that are recognized as proto-oncogenic products. Among SFKs, YES1 is frequently amplified and overexpressed in a variety of human tumors, including lung, breast, ovarian, and skin cancers. YES1 plays a pivotal role in promoting cell [...] Read more.
Src family kinases (SFKs) are non-receptor tyrosine kinases that are recognized as proto-oncogenic products. Among SFKs, YES1 is frequently amplified and overexpressed in a variety of human tumors, including lung, breast, ovarian, and skin cancers. YES1 plays a pivotal role in promoting cell proliferation, survival, and invasiveness during tumor development. Recent findings indicate that YES1 expression and activation are associated with resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors in human malignancies. YES1 undergoes post-translational modifications, such as lipidation and nitrosylation, which can modulate its catalytic activity, subcellular localization, and binding affinity for substrate proteins. Therefore, we investigated the diverse mechanisms governing YES1 activation and its impact on critical intracellular signal transduction pathways. We emphasized the function of YES1 as a potential mechanism contributing to the anticancer drug resistance emergence. Full article
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