Targeting glycolytic cancer metabolism is an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. Monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and MCT4 that mediate lactate transport are upregulated in a variety of cancers where they predict poor patient outcome. MCT1-selective inhibitors that block lactate export have been developed that show promising activity in several preclinical cancer models and have been evaluated clinically.
Projects in the lab are focused in two key main areas:
- In-silico identification and functional validation of novel MCT inhibitors
- The function of protein lactylation in driving MCT inhibitor sensitivity in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer
Techniques commonly employed in the lab include:
- Mammalian cell culture and drug treatment using semiautomated liquid handlers and dispensers
- Immunoprecipitation and western blot analysis of protein expression and lactylation
- Quantitative RT-qPCR of mRNA expression
- Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of DNA damage markers
- Luminescence-based assays of cell vitality and lactate transport
- Drug combination and synthetic lethal studies using RNAi