Charles Sawyers

Charles Sawyers is one of the most influential cancer researchers in understanding drug resistance, having defined resistance mechanisms to both imatinib in CML (BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations) and enzalutamide in prostate cancer (AR splice variants, glucocorticoid receptor bypass). His laboratory established the paradigm that understanding resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies reveals the next generation of therapeutic targets. He demonstrated that drug-resistant cancer clones frequently pre-exist in the tumor population and are selected by treatment, informing the rationale for upfront combination therapy. His work has shaped the modern understanding of cancer drug resistance as an evolutionary process.