A Perfect Match: How Metabolism Supports Cancer Cell Proliferation and Survival

Event details
Date | 18.01.2016 |
Hour | 14:15 |
Speaker | Prof. Sarah-Maria Fendt, VIB Vesalius Research Center, KU Leuven (B) |
Location | |
Category | Conferences - Seminars |
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
Cellular metabolism is a network of biochemical reactions that converts nutrients taken up from the microenvironment into metabolic products such as energy, antioxidants, or biomass precursors. Consequently, cellular metabolism supports survival and proliferation of cells. During an oncogenic transformation normal metabolism is rewired to support the specific requirements of transformed cells. These requirements of transformed cells vary dependent on the cancer progression state and thus cancer cells rewire their metabolism accordingly. We are investigating how transformed cells rewire their metabolism to support primary tumor proliferation, but also metastatic cancer cell survival and colonization. Using metabolomics and 13C tracer analysis we have identified that metabolic rewiring in proliferating cells is needed to support nucleotide production, while it supports energy production in metastasizing cancer cells. In conclusion, identifying how cellular metabolism supports transformed cells during cancer progression allows us to advance metabolic drugs beyond their use as anti-proliferating agents to drugs that can inhibit the survival of metastatic cancer cells.
Bio:
PhD: ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, 2009
Postdoctoral Fellow: Harvard Medical School, Boston, 2010
Postdoctoral Fellow: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 2011-2012
VIB Group leader since 2013
Abstract:
Cellular metabolism is a network of biochemical reactions that converts nutrients taken up from the microenvironment into metabolic products such as energy, antioxidants, or biomass precursors. Consequently, cellular metabolism supports survival and proliferation of cells. During an oncogenic transformation normal metabolism is rewired to support the specific requirements of transformed cells. These requirements of transformed cells vary dependent on the cancer progression state and thus cancer cells rewire their metabolism accordingly. We are investigating how transformed cells rewire their metabolism to support primary tumor proliferation, but also metastatic cancer cell survival and colonization. Using metabolomics and 13C tracer analysis we have identified that metabolic rewiring in proliferating cells is needed to support nucleotide production, while it supports energy production in metastasizing cancer cells. In conclusion, identifying how cellular metabolism supports transformed cells during cancer progression allows us to advance metabolic drugs beyond their use as anti-proliferating agents to drugs that can inhibit the survival of metastatic cancer cells.
Bio:
PhD: ETH Zurich, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, 2009
Postdoctoral Fellow: Harvard Medical School, Boston, 2010
Postdoctoral Fellow: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 2011-2012
VIB Group leader since 2013
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free