Development, Characterization, and Therapeutic Utility of Paclitaxel-Resistant Models

Despite the excellent clinical response to paclitaxel therapy, drug resistance inevitably develops in subsequent treatments. The development of targeted therapies for overcoming paclitaxel resistance represents an unmet medical need. Although not fully understood, the mechanisms for resistance to paclitaxel include drug efflux transporter overexpression, altered apoptotic gene expression, and changes associated with microtubules to reduce the influence of this chemotherapeutic agent.

WuXi Biology has established gastric cancer and breast cancer cell lines that are stably resistant to paclitaxel.  We have also established corresponding in vivo tumor models for these cell lines which exhibit significant resistance.

In our latest protocol publication, WuXi Biology scientists describe methods for establishing these paclitaxel-resistant tumor models both in vitro and in vivo, and approaches for investigating the underlying mechanisms of resistance.  The authors also describe a method to evaluate the potential of combination therapies to overcome paclitaxel resistance in these models.