Gene Linked to Chemo Resistance in Prostate Cancer

FOXJ1 gene may drive resistance to taxane chemotherapy in advanced prostate cancer, study finds.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 2:22am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has found that a gene called FOXJ1 may drive resistance to taxane chemotherapy during treatment for advanced prostate cancer. The findings provide insights into why patients with metastatic disease often stop responding to a key class of life-prolonging chemotherapy drugs after initially benefiting.

Why it matters

Taxanes remain the only chemotherapy agents with demonstrated survival benefit in advanced prostate cancer, so understanding how and why resistance develops is an urgent need for patients. The study suggests doctors may be able to measure FOXJ1 gene activity in tumors to predict which patients could develop drug resistance and move directly to alternative therapies, avoiding unnecessary toxicity.

The details

The research team found that FOXJ1, a gene best known for controlling genes involved in the formation of cilia, also regulates microtubules inside prostate cancer cells. Microtubules are essential for cell division and survival, and taxanes work by binding to and disrupting microtubules. When FOXJ1 levels were increased, prostate cancer cells became less sensitive to docetaxel, while reducing FOXJ1 expression made the cells more vulnerable to the drug.

  • The study was published on February 14, 2026 in Nature Communications.

The players

Paraskevi Giannakakou

Professor of pharmacology in medicine and director of laboratory research in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Fang Xie

Instructor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and co-first author of the study.

Ada Gjyrezi

Manager in the Giannakakou lab at Weill Cornell and co-first author of the study.

Steven Balk

Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and oncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who co-led this research.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“This is a previously unrecognized role for the FOXJ1 transcription factor, and it could serve as a potential biomarker to help us identify patients who are more likely to benefit from these types of treatments.”

— Paraskevi Giannakakou, Professor of pharmacology in medicine and director of laboratory research in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine (Mirage News)

“These findings are exciting as they identify a role for FOXJ1 in controlling microtubule dynamics in cells without cilia and show that tumor cells can exploit this function to develop resistance to taxanes.”

— Steven Balk, Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and oncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Mirage News)

What’s next

Further research is needed to fully understand the role of FOXJ1 in taxane resistance and explore potential therapies that could block this resistance pathway.

The takeaway

This study provides important insights into the mechanisms of chemotherapy resistance in prostate cancer, which could lead to the development of new biomarkers and targeted therapies to improve outcomes for patients with advanced disease.