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Cancer Metabolism

New Content ItemGuest Editors: Navdeep Chandel, Matthew Vander Heiden, Karen Vousden, Kathryn Wellen

Cancer cells have unique metabolic and bioenergetic properties, allowing them to thrive in nutrient poor environments and maximize cell growth and proliferation. Myriad inputs feed into the metabolism of cancer and cancer-associated cells; as well as interactions within the tumor microenvironment. Understanding the flexibility of changes in the metabolic program, and the underlying mechanisms, will be key in developing new therapeutic approaches.

In this series, BMC Biology and Cancer & Metabolism bring together commissioned Reviews and Research of exceptional interest, highlighting advances in our understanding of cancer metabolism.

The special issue is guest edited by Navdeep Chandel (Northwestern University, USA), Matthew Vander Heiden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Karen Vousden (The Francis Crick Institute, UK), and Kathryn Wellen (University of Pennsylvania, USA).


Image adapted from: Bruce Wetzel and Harry Schaefer, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

  1. The extent to which tumors acquire nutrients from dietary sources as opposed to from the breakdown of host tissues is not known. In this issue of BMC Biology, Holland et al. report an approach where food sourc...

    Authors: Keene L. Abbott and Matthew G. Vander Heiden
    Citation: BMC Biology 2021 19:92

    The original article was published in BMC Biology 2021 19:85

  2. Radioactive or stable isotopic labeling of metabolites is a strategy that is routinely used to map the cellular fate of a selected labeled metabolite after it is added to cell culture or to the circulation of ...

    Authors: Petter Holland, William M. Hagopian, A. Hope Jahren and Tor Erik Rusten
    Citation: BMC Biology 2021 19:85

    The Commentary to this article has been published in BMC Biology 2021 19:92

  3. This review discusses the current state of the viral metabolism field and gaps in knowledge that will be important for future studies to investigate. We discuss metabolic rewiring caused by viruses, the influe...

    Authors: Shivani K. Thaker, James Ch’ng and Heather R. Christofk
    Citation: BMC Biology 2019 17:59
  4. Most cancer patients die due to metastasis formation. Therefore, understanding, preventing, and treating metastatic cancers is an unmet need. Recent research indicates that cancer cells that undergo metastasis...

    Authors: Sarah-Maria Fendt
    Citation: BMC Biology 2019 17:54
  5. Perturbed mitochondrial bioenergetics constitute a core pillar of cancer-associated metabolic dysfunction. While mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer may result from myriad biochemical causes, a historically ne...

    Authors: Payam A. Gammage and Christian Frezza
    Citation: BMC Biology 2019 17:53
  6. Tumour cells rely on glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to survive. Thus, mitochondrial OXPHOS has become an increasingly attractive area for therapeutic exploitation in cancer. Ho...

    Authors: Luke W. Thomas, Jenna M. Stephen, Cinzia Esposito, Simon Hoer, Robin Antrobus, Afshan Ahmed, Hasan Al-Habib and Margaret Ashcroft
    Citation: Cancer & Metabolism 2019 7:2