Pre-doctoral Fellowship Grant Awarded to Joanna Lum

DIPG tumor cells feed on vast quantities of glucose to support their uncontrolled growth. Increase reliance on glucose leads to the increase production of a metabolite called lactate. Although long considered as a waste product, it has been discovered in recent years that lactate is used by the cancer cells to aid their growth and division. Yet, the precise mechanisms by which DIPG tumor cells utilize lactate for abnormal cell growth remains to be elucidated. Our research project is impactful, because it will investigate the dual functions of lactate serving as both (1) a fuel for energy producing pathways and (2) a substrate for a recently discovered DNA-associated modification. Our goal is to target this critical dependency on lactate, thereby, killing DIPG cells using an integrated epigenetic and metabolic approach.