An inevitable challenge emerges over time as tumors develop drug resistance, resulting in treatment failure.  The development of targeted therapies for overcoming drug resistance represents an unmet medical need. Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) represent a powerful platform for cancer drug screening and biomarker discovery and are considered the gold standard of in vivo models for their …Read More >

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is considered the main driver in more than 70% of all breast cancers, making this transcription factor an important drug target.  Activating point mutations in the ERα gene, especially Y537S and D538G, have been linked to acquired resistance to endocrine therapies, and there is an urgent need to develop new strategies …Read More >

Protein kinase N3 (PKN3) is a serine/threonine kinase implicated in tumor progression across multiple cancer types.  PKN3 mRNA is almost undetectable in normal adult tissues but is upregulated in various cancer cells, indicating that siRNA may be a promising approach to inhibit tumor growth by reducing the expression of PKN3.  WuXi AppTec scientists established different siPKN3 molecules and evaluated …Read More >

Despite the excellent clinical response to paclitaxel therapy, drug resistance inevitably develops in subsequent treatments. 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. The development of targeted therapies for overcoming paclitaxel resistance represents an unmet medical …Read More >

NK cells are effector innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) that do not require antigen-specific priming. NK cells are not only killer cells that help to suppress tumors, but also are involved in the generation and maintenance of adaptive immune responses.  The process of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) makes use of innate immune cells which provide antitumor …Read More >

Rat tumor models are a better mimic of human pathology compared to mice. The tumor stroma component of rats is about 1.5 to 2-fold higher relative to mice. Rats are considered an ideal model for preclinical efficacy studies, as they are physiologically, metabolically, and genetically more similar to humans.  To support drug discovery teams, WuXi …Read More >

Antibody‒drug conjugates (ADCs), which combine the advantages of monoclonal antibodies with precise targeting and payloads, show great potential as cancer therapies.  However, primary and secondary resistance is frequently observed, and development of next generation ADCs necessitates the establishment of resistant tumor models.  One mechanism of resistance involves efflux of the ADC payload by the transporter …Read More >

The EML4-ALK fusion gene occurs in approximately 5% of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), making this oncogene an important drug target.  The development of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) has been a major advance in treating NSCLC with this fusion gene, but acquired resistance to ALK-TKIs ultimately limits their use.  To support the development of next-generation …Read More >

High-dimensional (HD) flow cytometry allows researchers to perform deep phenotyping of immune cells at the single cell level with increased accuracy and sensitivity.  This technology enables complex pathway characterization and data integration for the identification of biomarkers used in immunotherapy.  WuXi AppTec offers a comprehensive panel of HD flow cytometry services, with more than 100 …Read More >