RP220046 — Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Grant Information

Grant ID	RP220046
Awarded On	February 16, 2022
Title	Dissect and disable altered tryptophan metabolism in MYC-driven tumors
Program	Academic Research
Award Mechanism	Individual Investigator
Institution/Organization	The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Principal Investigator/Program Director	Maralice Conacci-Sorrell
Cancer Sites	Gallbladder, Liver and Intrahepatic Bile Duct
Contracted Amount	$1,049,997
Lay Summary	Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Excessive alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis, metabolic syndrome, and obesity are major causes of liver damage. Liver damage can progress to fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, which dramatically increase the risk of cancer. Likely due to these environmental factors, the incidence of liver cancer in the United States has tripled in the last decades; however, the overall survival rates of patients with liver cancer have remained low. Our work focuses on a simple question: What do cancer cells need to grow? To answer this question, we are focused on identifying the specific nutritional needs of cancer cells tha... Read More Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Excessive alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis, metabolic syndrome, and obesity are major causes of liver damage. Liver damage can progress to fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, which dramatically increase the risk of cancer. Likely due to these environmental factors, the incidence of liver cancer in the United States has tripled in the last decades; however, the overall survival rates of patients with liver cancer have remained low. Our work focuses on a simple question: What do cancer cells need to grow? To answer this question, we are focused on identifying the specific nutritional needs of cancer cells that allow them to grow continuously. We discovered that liver cancer cells require very high amounts of a nutrient named tryptophan that is normally present in our daily diet in order grow uninterruptedly. The main goals of our research are to: i) determine the potential of using tryptophan-derived molecules as markers to diagnosis liver cancer; ii) examine the efficacy of limiting tryptophan availability or activity to inhibit tumor growth. We expect that our work will form the foundation to start developing novel targeted therapy for growth-promoting nutrients as well as examining nutritional programs that could limit cancer cell growth. By identifying such specific tumor-promoting factors, this work will also contribute to the understanding of how to select the optimal treatment using individual tumor markers. Read Less