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George Kumar: How Neuroblastoma Cells “Play Dead” to Survive Treatment

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Aug 11, 2025, 07:05

George Kumar: How Neuroblastoma Cells “Play Dead” to Survive Treatment

George Kumar, Senior Director at AstraZeneca, shared on LinkedIn published in Cancer Discovery:

“Extrachromosomal DNA-Driven Oncogene Dosage Heterogeneity Promotes Rapid Adaptation to Therapy in MYCN-Amplified Cancers.

Researchers have uncovered how neuroblastoma cells can ‘play dead’ to survive treatment and later trigger relapse. A Berlin team found that when the MYCN oncogene sits on extrachromosomal DNA, tumor cells can enter a dormant, therapy-resistant state. In mouse models, pairing standard chemotherapy with a second drug targeting these dormant cells dramatically improved outcomes.

Targeting both active and ‘sleeping’ cancer cells could be a game-changer in preventing relapse in high-risk pediatric cancers.”

Title: Extrachromosomal DNA-Driven Oncogene Dosage Heterogeneity Promotes Rapid Adaptation to Therapy in MYCN-Amplified Cancers

Authors: Giulia Montuori, Fengyu Tu, Di Qin, Rachel Schmargon, Elias Rodriguez-Fos, Konstantin Helmsauer, Hui Hui, Susmita Mandal, Karin Purshouse, Lara Fankhänel, Bartolomeo Bosco, Bastiaan Spanjaard, Hannah Seyboldt, Laura Grunewald, Matthias Jürgen Schmitt, Dennis Gürgen, Viktoria Buck, Mathias T. Rosenfeldt, Frank P.B. Dubois, Simon Schallenberg, Annika Lehmann, Jessica Theißen, Sabine Taschner-Mandl, Arend Koch, Patrick Hundsdoerfer, Annette Künkele, Angelika Eggert, Matthias Fischer, Gaetano Gargiulo, Teresa G. Krieger, Lukas Chavez, Fabian Coscia, Benjamin Werner, Weini Huang, Anton G. Henssen, Jan R. Dörr

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George Kumar: How Neuroblastoma Cells "Play Dead" to Survive Treatment