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Cancer

Drug-tolerant insurgents

Some cancer cells that become tolerant to a drug remain resistant even after its withdrawal, yet these cells eventually become sensitive to the drug again. The underlying molecular mechanism is unusual.

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Figure 1: Evolution and 'de-evolution' of drug resistance.

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Paul Workman is an employee of and Jon Travers a graduate student at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), which operates a rewards to inventors scheme. The ICR has an actual or potential commercial interest in inhibitors of chromatin-modifying enzymes, including histone deacetylases and histone demethylases. P.W. is a founder of, Scientific Advisory Board chair of, consultant to, non-executive director of and member of the Board of Directors of Chroma Therapeutics.

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Workman, P., Travers, J. Drug-tolerant insurgents. Nature 464, 844–845 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/464844a

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