Topic: clonal evolution

Wei Wei and Sizun Jiang discuss how spatial multiomics reveals interactions among cancer, immune and stromal cells and the cell states associated with treatment outcomes. Their findings connect melanoma and small-cell lung cancer with the organisation of local tumour ecosystems. The session considers how immune checkpoint blockade prepares melanoma tissue for combination treatment, coordinated macrophage and T-cell states, clonal evolution and lineage plasticity, and the relationship between spatial architecture and immune checkpoint pathways. It also examines the use of AI foundation models a

This symposium compares mechanisms of drug resistance, tolerance and persistence in bacteria, fungi and cancer. It explores how genetic change, non-genetic cellular plasticity, biochemistry and metabolism combine to let cells survive treatment. Themes include evolution under drug pressure, genome plasticity, stress responses, cellular fitness and the ecological context of drug responses. Efflux, microenvironmental effects and other extracellular contributors are considered alongside cellular states and biochemical mechanisms. By comparing systems across species, the programme aims to deepen un