Cancer cells need food to survive and grow. They’re very good at getting it, too, even when nutrients are scarce. Many scientists have tried killing cancer cells by taking away their favorite food, a sugar called glucose. Unfortunately, this treatment approach not only fails to work, it backfires—glucose-starved tumors actually get more aggressive. In a study published in the journal Cell, researchers discovered that a protein called PKCζ is responsible for this paradox. The research suggests that glucose depletion therapies might work against tumors as long as the cancer cells are producing PKCζ. Read more here.
Study mentioned: Ma L, et al. Control of Nutrient Stress-Induced Metabolic Reprogramming by PKCζ in Tumorigenesis. Cell. 2013 Jan 31;152(3):599-611. PMID: 23374352
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