A nine-year joint research project conducted by VIB, KU Leuven and VUB has resulted to a crucial breakthrough in cancer research. Scientists have clarified how the Warburg effect, a phenomenon in which cancer cells rapidly break down sugars, stimulates tumor growth.
The research was reported to have commenced in 2008 under the leadership of Johan Thevelein (VIB-KU Leuven), Wim Versees (VIB-VUB) and Veerle Janssens (KU Leuven). The main focus of the project was on the Warburg effect or the observation that tumors convert significantly higher amounts of sugar into lactate compared to healthy tissues. As one of the important features of cancer cells, this phenomenon has been extensively studied and even used to detect brain tumors, among other applications. However, it has been unclear whether the effect is just a symptom of cancer or a cause.
Prof. Johan Thevelein ( VIB-KU Leuven) said findings revealed that the hyperactive sugar consumption of cancerous cells leads to a vicious cycle of continued stimulation of cancer development and growth, which explains the correlation between the strength of the Warburg effect and tumor aggressiveness and its health-related consequences. He added that the results from the research provides a foundation for future research in this domain, which can now be performed with a much more precise and relevant focus.
Thevelein also revealed their findings in yeast, on how its sugar degradation is linked via intermediate fructose 1,6-bisphosphate to the activation of Ras proteins, which stimulates the multiplication of both yeast and cancer cells.
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