Can We Target Cancer's Sweet Tooth for Treatment?
Can we target cancer’s sweet tooth for effective treatment?
Yes, researchers are developing multiple therapeutic strategies to exploit cancer cells’ dependence on glucose metabolism, though clinical success remains limited. Scientists have identified numerous targets along the glycolytic pathway, from glucose transporters to lactate exporters, with several compounds showing promise in early clinical trials.
Nearly a century after Otto Warburg first described cancer’s unusual metabolism, the Warburg effect has emerged as both a diagnostic tool and therapeutic target. Cancer cells’ preference for glucose fermentation creates unique vulnerabilities that researchers are learning to exploit through targeted interventions.