Fred Hutch Study Finds Genetic Driver of Drug Resistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer

A Fred Hutch Cancer Center study has identified a genetic driver of drug resistance in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing on tumor cells, researchers discovered that turning off a gene, well-known in other cancers but underexplored in SCLC, triggers resistance to chemotherapy. This breakthrough could lead to new therapies for the aggressive cancer, which initially responds well to chemotherapy but rapidly becomes resistant, contributing to the disease’s high mortality rate.