How cancer cells use taste receptors to resist treatment
Researchers just found that cancer cells use bitter taste receptors—yes, like the ones on your tongue—to spot and kick out chemotherapy drugs.
This sneaky move helps tumors resist treatment and keep growing, making chemo less effective.
What the study found
When these TAS2R receptors sense chemo drugs, they set off a chain reaction inside the cell that boosts a protein called ABCB1.
This protein acts like a pump, pushing the medicine out before it can do its job.
Blocking one type of this receptor (TAS2R14) made cancer cells much more sensitive to treatment in lab tests.
Potential for new cancer treatments
If scientists can block these taste receptors during chemo, it could stop cancer cells from dodging the drugs and make treatments work better.
Targeting these receptors could be key for beating drug resistance down the line.