Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Tumor Metabolism organized by Drs. Heather Christofk, Christian Metallo and Alec Kimmelman. The conference will be held in Snowbird, Utah from January 21-25, 2018. This meeting will bring together the tumor metabolism field to discuss new concepts in the regulation and role of cancer metabolism in tumor growth and strategies for targeting tumor metabolism for therapeutic benefit. Some of the gaps in knowledge specifically addressed will be the role of mitochondria in promotion of cancer metabolic phenotypes, influence of the microenvironment on tumor metabolism, and the impact of tumor metabolism on the epigenetic state of cancer cells. The program intends to: 1) Discuss these gaps in knowledge surrounding the influence of mitochondria and microenvironment on tumor metabolism as well as the influence of cancer metabolism on epigenetics, 2) Discuss different approaches for identifying promising tumor metabolism drug targets, 3) Discuss the best ways to model and quantify tumor metabolism in vivo, and 4) Provide a conceptual framework to trainees and non-experts in the field on the regulation and role of tumor metabolism in cancer biology. Anticipated outcomes include the generation of new ideas and scientific knowledge, the promotion of new collaborations, and the enhanced use of correct methodologies for measuring tumor metabolism. This established symposium is the premier conference for learning about the most important unpublished data in the tumor metabolism field and is invaluable to enhance accelerated discovery and development of new therapeutic approaches to target cancer metabolism.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of mortality worldwide. A hallmark characteristic across many cancers is altered cellular metabolism. This Keystone Symposia meeting on Tumor Metabolism will promote an interdisciplinary assessment of where the field is going and explore how best to overcome roadblocks that could hamper progress towards clinical translation of discoveries.
