Drug resistance continues to be one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against cancer today, often preventing long-term successful therapy. Tumor cells can become resistant to therapies via genetic mutation, pathway reactivation, and adaptive changes in the tumor microenvironment, among others, that render treatments ineffective. Better defining these mechanisms of resistance is paramount to developing novel, rational strategies to restore sensitivity to treatment and to improve patients' outcomes. Recent tools in molecular profiling, single-cell sequencing, and computational modeling are helping us uncover the factors that affect how an individual's cancer will develop resistance to therapy and the chronology by which this may occur.

Currently, researchers are tackling these challenging problems through novel next-generation inhibitors, evolving adaptive treatment strategies, and rational combination therapies. This session at the Cancer Research and Development Conference 2026 will showcase fundamental mechanisms of drug resistance and strategies to overcome them. These will include new research studies, promising predictive biomarkers, clinical trials, and translational studies leading to more durable, patient-effective responses. Please join us in learning how innovation and precision can pave the way for conquering therapeutic resistance in cancer patient care.