Researchers at the IBM Watson Research Center and Mount Sinai have collaborated to make a new discovery about how cancer cells respond to drug therapy. The study exposed various types of cells to drugs and found that the surviving cells were the ones that contained higher amounts of mitochondria. This experiment led researchers to the conclusion that cells with more mitochondria are likely more resistant to treatment, which means scientists potentially may develop drugs that will lower the number of mitochondria in cancer cells. Understanding drug responses is what ultimately will lead to more successful cancer treatments that aren’t resisted by cells.
The IBM Watson Research Center is a member of NYSERNet’s R&E network. Read more about the study here: https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2019/03/mitochondria-cancer-drug-resistance/