[co-authors: Kim Beane, and Daniel Meckley]
Cancer is a horribly painful and debilitating illness, but would you ever call it “diabolical”? What about “conniving”? You might after you hear about the latest research out of Vanderbilt University showing that cancer cells adjust their metabolic profile to evade the effects of treatment. A team of scientists has shown certain melanomas that initially respond well to a particular treatment, ultimately reprogram their metabolism to defeat the ongoing exposure to that same treatment and continue to grow. The good news is that this discovery opens the door to learning how the cells do this, and then, how to stop them.