BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Glutamine metabolism drives PDAC

April 4, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a glutamine metabolism pathway that is activated by oncogenic K-Ras in pancreatic cancers.1 Moreover, the team found three different enzyme targets within the pathway that could be blocked to specifically inhibit proliferation of the malignant cells.

Cancer cells have higher metabolic demands than normal cells due to their high levels of growth and proliferation. This increased rate of glycolysis, dubbed the Warburg effect, helps sustain tumor growth...