{"id":26101,"date":"2020-06-19T10:06:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T10:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=17696"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:16:47","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:16:47","slug":"searching-for-novel-connections-in-cancer-metabolism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/searching-for-novel-connections-in-cancer-metabolism\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for novel connections in cancer metabolism"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The iKnife has been used to hunt for patterns that could reveals clues about metabolism and cancer. Credit: Jeroen Claus (Phospho Biomedical Animation)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Imagine a line of dominoes. When one is lightly tapped and falls, the rest tumble. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The same is true of cancer. When a cell becomes cancerous, important cellular pathways are altered. And like a chain reaction, when one point in a pathway is mutated, the effects can be felt downstream \u2013 just like dominoes. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the pathways that are disrupted in cancer regulate how cells acquire and process energy \u2013 their cellular metabolism. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But while a lot is known about the errors that disrupt metabolic pathways in cancer, not much has been done to link these mutations to how the cells behave. Until now. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Dr George<\/span> Poulogiannis, who works at The Institute of Cancer Research,<\/span> is one of our scientists investigating the relationship between cellular metabolism, cancer and diet as part of our Rosetta Cancer Grand Challenges team<\/a><\/span>,<\/span> who are creating a \u2018google earth of cancer\u2019<\/a><\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Poulogiannis explained that by completing one part of this complex puzzle \u2013 finding novel connections in cancer metabolism \u2013 scientists can open the door to a better understanding of individual cancers and, in turn, pave the road to more tailored treatments. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And for a puzzle this complex, they needed a rather unique tool. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span><\/span> iKnife<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

To assess the metabolic changes that occur in cancer cells, the team acquired an ingenious piece of equipment known as the Intelligent Knife (or<\/span> iKnife<\/span>). <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> iKnife<\/span> was invented by Professor Zoltan<\/span> Takats<\/span> at Imperial College London, who works with<\/span> Poulogiannis<\/span> on the Rosetta team and was a researcher in this latest study. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n