Variation of normal protein could be key to resistance to common cancer drug

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Variation of normal protein could be key to resistance to common cancer drug

Researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UC SD) in La Jolla have found evidence explaining why a common chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, may not always work for every cancer patient. They have shown that when a variant version of a key protein that normally causes cell death is active, patients may be resistant to the cancer-killing drug.
The scientists say that such findings, reported online this week in the journal [I]Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,[/I] are important to understanding how personalized therapies may be developed for patients.