cancer metabolism

Monday, July 20, 2009

Just a brief thought for today....About a century ago Dr Otto Warburg noticed that cancer cells have a high rate of glycolysis (glucose metabolism) compared to normal cells which process glucose completely to CO2 and H20 by a complex process called oxidative phosphorylation...this high glucose utilization by tumor cells is called 'The Warburg Effect' after its discoverer.

solid tumor structure

Today's thought concerns an email question that came across my desk today... it concerned solid tumor structure and the effectiveness of anti-cancer agents.

Recent studies on the tumor 'micro-environment' indicate that the abnormal structural parameters of solid tumors may restrict drug uptake by individual tumor cells buried within the tumor. This is a problem of drug delivery...should the tumor micro-environment be manipulated by agents that breakdown solid tumor structure to increase the efficiency of drug delivery?

This is a complex question and speaks directly to the biophysical parameters associated with tumors and their effects on the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents....no doubt it plays a role in defining drug resistance properties that limit the general effectiveness of chemotherapy.

what's new today

Hi readers

Right now we are studying the anti-cancer properties of ferns- we are studying ferns endogenous to the Northeast USA and have recently engaged the assistance of the NY Botanical garden who will provide samples of ferns from this region so that we can assess the individual species for potential anti-cancer activity in human solid tumor cell lines representative of many types of cancer.

More on this tomorrow....

hi again

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

hi to  new and future bloggers!  Each day I will touch upon some aspect of current cancer research studies in my lab-- and other labs--and hope to present info of interest to many who follow progress in cancer research...

Beginning tomorrow- I will post a new item each day.

Best wishes!

Welcome!

Welcome to my newly created blog site!

I am hoping to share and discuss many new and exciting results from the world of cancer research that may increase our understanding of the nature of cancer, its treatment and prevention.

I will use this forum to present our ongoing research studies in my Cancer Biology Research Laboratory, and also to present important findings from around the world that are contributing to the study of this disease.

I hope this ongoing dialog will be rewarding for all participants!