Unraveling an old mystery using new technology

Scientists have known since the 1920s that one distinguishing characteristic of cancer cells is their altered glucose metabolism: compared to normal cells, cancer cells have a “sweet tooth” and use much more glucose from the environment.  This discovery has yet to be exploited for therapeutic benefit.

Dr. Christofk’s goal is to identify the proteins within cancer cells that are responsible for their altered glucose metabolism.  She aims to grow tumors in mice, then turn off their metabolic “switches,” monitoring the result using advanced imaging technologies.  Her research will determine whether targeting tumor metabolism is a feasible approach for cancer therapy and may identify new cancer drug targets.

Dr. Christofk commented, “The field of cancer metabolism has re-emerged with a great deal of promise in the last few years, yet there are several fundamental questions still to be answered.  This award will dramatically accelerate my research and allow me to answer some of these critical questions on a much shorter timetable.  Thank you to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and the Rachleffs for their generous support—this award is one of the greatest honors a young scientist could hope for!”

 

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Project Title: "Regulation of cancer metabolism"

Institution: University of California, Los Angeles

Sponsor(s) / Mentor(s): n/a

Cancer Type: All cancers

Research Area: Cancer Genetics