2011 Grantees
Elsa Beyer, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, in the laboratory of Kevin Struhl, Ph.D. In their lab, the well-established type II diabetes drug, metformin was found to target cancer stem cells, a sub-population of tumor cells that are resistant to standard treatments and are thought to be responsible for patient relapse. Dr. Beyer is investigating the molecular mechanisms by which metformin exerts its anti-cancer effects. As metformin is used to treat metabolic disease, it may function in cancer by disrupting cellular metabolism. Preliminary evidence also suggests that it disrupts inflammatory signals. These studies will be relevant for difficult-to-treat cancers of tissues that are susceptible to chronic inflammation, such as the lungs, esophagus, liver, and gastrointestinal tract, as well as tissues that function in metabolism, including the liver and pancreas. Additionally, most human tumors are thought to contain cancer stem cells, so these studies may be relevant for all types of cancer.
Jurre Kamphorst, Ph.D., Princeton University, in the laboratory of Joshua Rabinowitz, Ph.D. Tumor cells make specific metabolic adaptations to supply the energy and building blocks for their rapid growth. Research in recent years established that one function of oncogenes is to induce these metabolic adaptations. Interfering with cancer cell metabolism is one of the oldest pharmacological approaches to cancer therapy, but is currently limited to the areas of folate and nucleic acid metabolism (e.g., methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil). Recently, Drs. Jurre Kamphorst and Joshua Rabinowitz found, using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, that the Ras oncogene reprograms fatty acid metabolism. They will now have the opportunity to further investigate the nature and ramifications of this reprogramming, aiming towards finding novel therapeutic approaches that selectively inhibit Ras-driven tumor growth. A particular focus will be on the devastating Ras-driven disease, pancreatic cancer.
To view Dr. Kamphorst’s article in Analytical Chemistry click here
Joo-Hyeon Lee, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital Boston, in the laboratory of Carla Kim, Ph.D. Lung cancer is estimated to cause 160,000 deaths in the United States each year, a number that has remained unchanged after decades of cancer research. As a disease, cancer involves not only the tumor cells themselves, but also their surroundings, referred to as microenvironments. While this concept is accepted, many cancer researchers do not consider the tumor microenvironment idea in their experimental approaches. Dr. Lee is working to bring new technological approaches to lung cancer research by working to understand the role of the microenvironment and the molecules that regulate lung tumor growth. Using new techniques she previously developed, her work will help to determine which of the many mutations identified in human cancers are truly important therapeutic targets. This work will accelerate the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies for lung cancer patients.