Sylvester Cancer: blocking one protein restores chemo sensitivity in resistant tumors

Chemotherapy resistance is one of oncology's most persistent problems. Cancer cells that survive an initial round of treatment can become permanently insensitive to the same drugs, leaving clinicians with fewer options and patients with worse prognoses. A study from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, published in Genes and Development, describes a potential mechanism for reversing that resistance.

The research found that blocking a specific key protein forces damaged cancer cells into a state of uncontrolled transcriptional activity - a condition in which gene expression runs without normal regulatory brakes. That transcriptional chaos creates a new type of cellular stress that appears to make even treatment-resistant tumors sensitive again to chemotherapy. The finding suggests that combining a protein-blocking agent with conventional chemotherapy might restore drug efficacy in cases where the drugs alone have stopped working.

The study does not name the specific protein publicly in the tip sheet summary, and the mechanism awaits independent replication in further experimental models. The work represents early-stage laboratory research rather than a clinical intervention ready for patient use.

Teaching resilience to lymphoma survivors

A second Sylvester initiative addresses a different phase of the cancer experience: life after treatment. Some lymphoma patients describe the post-treatment period as disorienting - the intensive structure of treatment ends, but so does the certainty about what comes next.

A $4 million, multi-site National Cancer Institute study called SMART 3RP Lymphoma is enrolling 250 patients who have completed curative therapy within the past two years. The program draws on the 3RP (Relaxation Response Resiliency Program) framework to teach stress management, coping skills, and quality-of-life practices to cancer survivors.

"Resilience isn't a trait you either have or don't have," said Frank Penedo, Sylvester's principal investigator for the study and director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute. "It's a skill set, like learning to play an instrument."

The study will evaluate whether structured resilience training translates into measurable improvements in patient-reported outcomes over time.

From ocean floor to oncology lab

Sylvester is South Florida's only NCI-designated cancer center and has launched a research partnership with the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. The collaboration uses the Glassell Family Center for Marine Biomedicine as a platform for probing marine organisms for compounds with anti-cancer properties or biological insights relevant to cancer biology.

Marine environments - particularly coral reefs, deep-sea sediments, and diverse reef ecosystems accessible from South Florida - have historically yielded bioactive compounds distinct from those found in terrestrial plants and microorganisms. The partnership also includes work by atmospheric researchers examining cancer-causing environmental factors from sites on the Superfund National Priority List, connecting local environmental contamination data to cancer risk in affected communities.

Preventing gastrointestinal cancer in high-risk groups

Shria Kumar, a member of Sylvester's Cancer Control Program, is pursuing a different prevention angle: eradicating Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium responsible for the majority of stomach cancers globally. Her research focuses on populations facing the highest burden of early-onset colorectal cancer, a group that has seen rising incidence rates in younger adults over the past two decades. Kumar's emphasis on prevention over treatment reflects a principle she applies to her work with historically disadvantaged communities, where late diagnosis and limited access to screening compound already elevated cancer rates.

New research building opens in Miami

Sylvester also opened its Kenneth C. Griffin Cancer Research Building in February 2026 - a 12-story, 244,000-square-foot structure on UHealth's downtown Miami campus. The facility combines specialized laboratories with shared clinical care spaces and is organized around research neighborhoods designed to facilitate collaboration across disciplines. The co-location of researchers, clinicians, and patients in a single building is intended to accelerate the translation of laboratory findings into clinical applications.