Why Cancer Drug Resistance Is the Next Frontier in Oncology
Every year, roughly one in six deaths worldwide is caused by cancer — a staggering statistic that puts pressure on researchers to outsmart tumors that learn to evade therapy. While most attention has focused on genetic mutations that develop over months or years, a fresh wave of discoveries is shifting the spotlight to “non‑genetic” survival tricks that cancer cells use within days of treatment.
From Cell Death to Cell Survival: The Surprising Role of DFFB
In a breakthrough study from the University of California, San Diego, scientists identified that persister cells (the few cancer cells that survive an initial drug hit) hijack a protein called DNA fragmentation factor B (DFFB). Normally, DFFB is a “executioner” that cuts DNA during programmed cell death. In persisters, however, DFFB is only partially activated—enough to rewrite cellular signaling pathways, but not enough to kill the cell.
