Metabolism, CAncer and immune REsponses (mCARE)

The metabolism, CAncer and immune REsponses (mCARE) INSERM team, created in 2006, focuses on the molecular basis of energy metabolism in cancers (lymphomas and lung cancers).

Our research strategy is to determine whether modulation of cancer cell metabolism and metabolic enzymes can modulate tumor growth, response to chemotherapy and the anticancer immune response.

In cancer research, identifying specificities of tumor cells compared with "normal" proliferating cells is considered the holy grail for the development of targeted therapies. Although diverse in origin, most cancer cells share characteristics including the ability to escape cell death and the use of different sources of energy. In the current paradigm, aerobic glycolysis is considered the central metabolic characteristic of cancer cells (the Warburg effect). However, recent data indicate that significant changes in other metabolic pathways are also needed, including amino acid, lipid and mitochondrial (OxPhos) metabolism. In this more complex picture, this variety of metabolic source could be a strength (creating endless possibilities for adaptation and drug resistance) or a weakness that could be targeted to eliminate cancer cells.

Our laboratory studies the molecular basis of tumor metabolism in cancers: how it can be targeted and how it may influence the anticancer immune response – on a continuum from fundamental mechanisms to the clinic. We are developing unique preclinical models and in vivo methods to study the metabolic dependency of tumor cells in their correct pathological microenvironment.