Many human cancers fail to respond to DNA damaging chemotherapy, and cancers that initially respond frequently acquire drug resistance and relapse. This process of tumor relapse is particularly confounding, as patients can be in remission for years following treatment prior to the reemergence of a cancer. Our group has used in vivo genetic screens to show that select microenvironments can underlie resistance to chemotherapy and cell-based immunotherapy and persistence of microenvironment-specific residual disease. Our findings highlight potential avenues for therapeutic synergy by targeting pathways involved in context-dependent drug resistance.

• Speaker: Professor Michael Hemann, Koch Institute for Integrative Research at MIT
• Friday 13 December 2024, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CRUK CI Lecture Theatre.
• Series: Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute (CRUK CI) Seminars in Cancer; organiser: Kate Davenport.