Targeting Multidrug Resistance Mechanisms in Cancer: From Molecular Insights to Therapeutic Strategies

Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains one of the central obstacles to durable cancer treatment. Tumours evade chemotherapy through a range of well-defined molecular mechanisms: overexpression of ATP-binding cassette efflux transporters (P-glycoprotein/ABCB1, MRP1, BCRP), altered drug-metabolizing enzymes, dysregulated apoptotic and survival signalling, changes in drug targets, and adaptive transcriptional programs. Understanding how drugs interact with these specific biological targets — and how those interactions can be exploited or restored — is essential to designing the next generation of agents that overcome resistance.This Research Topic invites experimental pharmacology and drug discovery research that advances the mechanistic understanding of MDR and translates it into new therapeutic strategies. We particularly welcome studies that characterize drug–target interactions at the molecular, cellular, and organism level, and that provide detailed, in-depth insight into the pharmacological consequences of those interactions.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods, Brief Research Reports, and other section-eligible article types addressing themes including, but not limited to:Identification and validation of molecular targets driving MDR (efflux transporters, enzymes, ion channels, receptors, transcription factors)Discovery, synthesis, and medicinal-chemistry optimization of MDR-reversing agents and efflux-pump inhibitorsMechanisms of binding, transduction, and drug–biomolecule interaction relevant to resistancePharmacokinetics, metabolism, and toxicology of investigational agents designed to circumvent resistanceHigh-throughput screening and lead-finding approaches for anti-resistance compoundsCombination and repurposing strategies with a clearly defined molecular rationalePhysiological responses to candidate agents across molecular, cellular, and in vivo modelsScope notes for authors: Submissions should provide detailed information on the interaction between drugs and specific biological targets. Studies claiming anti-cancer effects must demonstrate activity in a minimum of two cell lines in vitro. Work based solely on in silico methods, clinical trials, patient-prognosis studies, and studies of crude extracts or multiherbal preparations (unless chemical structure and purity are precisely characterized by appropriate analytical methods) fall outside the section’s scope. Contributions supporting SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being are encouraged. Topic editors: Letao Bo, Nianping Liu, Guojun Liu, Yingying Wang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87030/targeting-multidrug-resistance-mechanisms-in-cancer-from-molecular-insights-to-therapeutic-strategies