Susan Bates

Susan Bates has been a leading authority on ABC transporter-mediated multidrug resistance in cancer, conducting pioneering clinical trials of P-glycoprotein (MDR1/ABCB1) inhibitors and defining the clinical significance of drug efflux as a resistance mechanism. Her research demonstrated that P-glycoprotein overexpression in leukemia, lymphoma, and solid tumors correlates with poor response to chemotherapy and that targeting multiple ABC transporters simultaneously may be necessary to overcome efflux-mediated resistance. She showed that third-generation P-glycoprotein inhibitors like tariquidar achieve effective transporter blockade without pharmacokinetic interactions. Her work defined both the promise and challenges of targeting drug efflux in cancer.