Breaking barriers: we need a multidisciplinary approach to tackle cancer drug resistance

Abstract Most cancer-related deaths result from drug-resistant disease(1,2). However, cancer drug resistance is not a primary focus in drug development. Effectively mitigating and treating drug-resistant cancer will require advancements in multiple fields, including early detection, drug discovery,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: James Ingham, Jia-Ling Ruan, Matthew A. Coelho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:BJC Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44276-025-00129-2
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Most cancer-related deaths result from drug-resistant disease(1,2). However, cancer drug resistance is not a primary focus in drug development. Effectively mitigating and treating drug-resistant cancer will require advancements in multiple fields, including early detection, drug discovery, and our fundamental understanding of cancer biology. Therefore, successfully tackling drug resistance requires an increasingly multidisciplinary approach. A recent workshop on cancer drug resistance, jointly organised by Cancer Research UK, the Rosetrees Trust, and the UKRI-funded Physics of Life Network, brought together experts in cell biology, physical sciences, computational biology, drug discovery, and clinicians to focus on these key challenges and devise interdisciplinary approaches to address them. In this perspective, we review the outcomes of the workshop and highlight unanswered research questions. We outline the emerging hallmarks of drug resistance and discuss lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and antimicrobial resistance that could help accelerate information sharing and timely adoption of research discoveries into the clinic. We envisage that initiatives that drive greater interdisciplinarity will yield rich dividends in developing new ways to better detect, monitor, and treat drug resistance, thereby improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients.
ISSN:2731-9377