Identifying regulators of quiescence as therapeutic targets

Quiescent cancer cells, which have reversibly exited the cell cycle, are resistant to most cancer therapies that target rapidly dividing cells. Hence, it can be said that quiescent cells contribute to therapeutic resistance and disease recurrence. We sought to understand the drivers of quiescence in ovarian cancer as a means to identify novel therapeutic targets which either (i) prevent quiescent cells from re-entering the cell cycle and could thus delay recurrence or (ii) could eradicate cells to prevent a recurrence.