Speaker
Description
Development of therapeutic resistance in cancer is typically attributed to natural selection, where a cytotoxic agent eliminates sensitive cells in the population, leaving behind only the resistant ones. However, it appears that non-genetic mechanisms of therapeutic resistance exist as well, and as such they may be reversible through better understanding of underlying biology. Here we discuss two examples of non-genetic resistance to cancer therapy: resistance to PI3K inhibitors that can be reversed through combination therapy that targets metabolism, and resistance to checkpoint inhibitors, which may be addressed through modifying the dosage of drug administration. We discuss existing evidence for these mechanisms, and possible modeling approaches that may be applied to help mitigate non-genetic resistance to cancer therapy.
