Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Cancer cells heavily rely on the conversion of pyruvate to lactate as their metabolic strategy, regardless of oxygen conditions they exist in. This is very different compared to normal cells where in the presence of oxygen, glucose is metabolized through oxidative phosphorylation to generate an abundant amount of energy for the body. This cancer phenomenon known as the "Warburg" effect is a target that researchers are attempting to exploit for the purposes of anti-cancer therapy. One such target from this phenomenon is a protein called hexokinase II, which has been shown to be highly expressed in cancer cells and limited in normal adult tissue. The purpose of this research is to determine whether targeting this protein in human colorectal cancer metabolism could be a viable therapeutic strategy. To do this, a compound called 3-bromopyruvate is being used to target human colorectal cancer cells. This compound has been shown to be very effective at reducing tumor size in mouse models. Furthermore, how this compound may be effective against diabetic cancer patients will be examined. In addition, the research being conducted will provide insight to personalized anti-cancer therapy by examining whether hexokinase II can be used as a prognostic marker against colorectal cancer.