Health · Medical Research · 2 hrs ago
Researchers identify proteins that help cancer cells survive chemotherapy
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have identified two proteins that help cancer cells survive chemotherapy.
The proteins, called DNAJB12 and DNAJB14, sit on a structure inside cells that makes and processes proteins.
The team found that chemotherapy-related stress can cause them to release other proteins into the cell’s interior.
Those proteins can block the process that makes a damaged cell destroy itself, allowing cancer cells to live through treatment.
When the chemical bonds holding the two guardian proteins together break, cells can instead undergo programmed self-destruction.
The findings, published in the journal Redox Biology, may help researchers develop treatments for aggressive tumors that resist chemotherapy.
The researchers also found that the same switch operates in heart cells during oxygen deprivation, which may point to future ways to limit tissue damage after a heart attack.
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev say they identified two proteins that help cancer cells survive chemotherapy.
The proteins, DNAJB12 and DNAJB14, are located on the wall of the endoplasmic reticulum.
Under chemotherapy stress, they help release protective proteins into the cell’s interior, where those proteins block enzymes involved in cell self-destruction.
The findings were published in the journal Redox Biology.
The researchers say the work could help guide treatments for chemotherapy-resistant tumors, and may also have implications for protecting heart cells during oxygen deprivation.
- Who
- Researchers in Dr. Aeid Igbaria’s lab at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
- What
- They identified two proteins that help cancer cells survive chemotherapy by enabling a protective response.
- When
- The findings were published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel; the research examined human cell lines in laboratory studies.
- Why
- To understand how cancer cells survive chemotherapy and help researchers develop ways to overcome treatment resistance.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Cancer is wild. We don’t know how cancer will respond, but this research could open up a lot of advancement in the treatment of solid cancers.
surviving stress and self-destructing is a major goal in biology and medicine.
Igbaria began researching cancer cells, initially focusing on glioblastoma.
The research findings were published in the journal Redox Biology.
- Proteins identified
- DNAJB12 and DNAJB14
- Research institution
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
- Publication
- Redox Biology
- Study leader
- Dr. Aeid Igbaria
- Initial research interest
- Glioblastoma
Sources
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