Agios is focused on cancer metabolism, a new approach to the treatment of cancer patients.
Cancer metabolism is the study of the altered metabolism of cancer cells – what nutrients they consume and how they use them – that allows them to grow rapidly and form tumors. At Agios, we are pioneering research and creating a portfolio of first-in-class anticancer drugs that will allow us to “starve” cancer cells by interrupting the metabolic processes that fuel their growth.
Key Research Illuminates the Potential for the Field of Cancer Metabolism
Fundamental differences in the metabolism of normal cells and rapidly proliferating cancer cells were first discovered by Otto Warburg more than 80 years ago – an observation that earned him the Nobel Prize. Only recently, however, have researchers begun to understand the precise biologic nature of these changes and that these altered metabolic processes can be a fundamental driver of tumor growth, rather than simply being a consequence of the cancer.
Recent research has demonstrated that cancer cells have developed highly regulated processes for nutrient consumption and utilization. Cancer cells alter their consumption and the way they process sugars, fats, amino acids and other energy sources to satisfy the demands of continuous proliferation. Together, these proliferation-supporting processes represent a cellular phenomenon called “metabolic rewiring.”
The development of cancer metabolism inhibitors and the possibility of combining them with existing therapeutic approaches could have a profound anticancer effect and fundamentally change the treatment of cancer. Cancer metabolism therefore represents a powerful new lens for studying cancer that complements traditional areas of focus such as genetics and signaling.
Flash Player is needed to view the above animation.
Scientific publications featuring significant discoveries and reviews in the field of cancer metabolism include:
- "Understanding the Warburg Effect: The Metabolic Requirements of Cell Proliferation." Vander Heiden et al, Science, 2009
- "PKM2 tyrosine phosphorylation and glutamine metabolism signal a different view of the Warburg effect." Dang C., Science Signaling, 2009
- "The biology of cancer: metabolic reprogramming fuels cell growth and proliferation." DeBerardinis et al., Cell Metabolism, 2008
- "Metabolic targeting as an anticancer strategy: dawn of a new era?" Pan and Mak, Science Signaling, 2007