Identification and Characterization of Chemotherapy-Resistant High-Risk Neuroblastoma Persister Cells.

Relapse rates in high-risk neuroblastoma remain exceedingly high. The malignant cells that are responsible for relapse have not been identified, and mechanisms of therapy resistance remain poorly understood. In this study, we used single-nucleus RNA sequencing and bulk whole-genome sequencing to identify and characterize the residual malignant persister cells that survive chemotherapy from a cohort of 20 matched diagnosis and definitive surgery tumor samples from patients treated with high-risk neuroblastoma induction chemotherapy.