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Metabolism and cancer
Menendez’s Lab

DESCRIPTION

Unlocking the metabolic secrets of cancer: Our “Metabolism and Cancer” team studies how cellular metabolism drives cancer growth, drug resistance, and metastasis. We use cutting-edge laboratory experiments, computational tools and clinical trials to validate our discoveries in cancer patients.

MAIN RESEARCH LINES

  1. CANCER METABOLISM

    Metabolic inhibitors for cancer therapy

    • Metabolic mechanisms of tumorigenesis & drug resistance
    • Clinical development of anti-cancer metabolic drugs

    Mitochondria, senescence, and cancer

    • Mitochondria-based elimination of tumor-/metastasis-initiating cells
    • Metabolic therapy-induced senescence (MTIS)

    Metabolo-immunotherapy

    • Tumor cell-intrinsic immunometabolism 
    • Metabolic/dietary interventions and immunotherapy 
  2. BIOCOMPOUNDS
    • Natural biocompounds for cancer treatment
  3. COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY & CHEMISTRY
    • Mathematical modeling of cancer
    • Computational design of anti-cancer metabolic drugs

Javier A. Menendez

Group leaders

IP

Elisabet Cuyàs

Researchers

Established researcher (Miguel Servet)

Eila Serrano Hervás

Researchers

Postdoctoral researcher (INVESTIGO)

Sara Verdura

Researchers

Predoctoral researcher

Àngela Llop Hernández

Young investigators

Predoctoral researcher

Júlia López

Young investigators

Predoctoral researcher

Begoña Martín Castillo

Researchers

Established researcher (Unit of Clinical Research, ICO-Girona)

Eugeni López Bonet

Researchers

Established researcher (Hospital Trueta)

Metformin Is a Pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP)-Competitive Inhibitor of SHMT2

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Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 9;13(16):4009. doi: 10.3390/cancers13164009. ABSTRACT The anticancer actions of the biguanide metformin involve the functioning of the serine/glycine one-carbon metabolic network. We report that metformin directly and specifically targets the enzymatic activity of mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT2). In vitro competitive binding assays with human recombinant SHMT1 and SHMT2 isoforms revealed that metformin […]

Histamine signaling and metabolism identify potential biomarkers and therapies for lymphangioleiomyomatosis

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EMBO Mol Med. 2021 Sep 7;13(9):e13929. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202113929. Epub 2021 Aug 11. ABSTRACT Inhibition of mTOR is the standard of care for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). However, this therapy has variable tolerability and some patients show progressive decline of lung function despite treatment. LAM diagnosis and monitoring can also be challenging due to the heterogeneity of symptoms […]

Lung Cancer Management with Silibinin: A Historical and Translational Perspective

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Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Jun 11;14(6):559. doi: 10.3390/ph14060559. ABSTRACT The flavonolignan silibinin, the major bioactive component of the silymarin extract of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) seeds, is gaining traction as a novel anti-cancer therapeutic. Here, we review the historical developments that have laid the groundwork for the evaluation of silibinin as a chemopreventive and therapeutic agent […]

Bivalent chromatin as a therapeutic target in cancer: An in silico predictive approach for combining epigenetic drugs

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PLoS Comput Biol. 2021 Jun 21;17(6):e1008408. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008408. eCollection 2021 Jun. ABSTRACT Tumour cell heterogeneity is a major barrier for efficient design of targeted anti-cancer therapies. A diverse distribution of phenotypically distinct tumour-cell subpopulations prior to drug treatment predisposes to non-uniform responses, leading to the elimination of sensitive cancer cells whilst leaving resistant subpopulations unharmed. […]

Glutaminolysis-induced mTORC1 activation drives non-alcoholic steatohepatitis progression

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J Hepatol. 2021 May 4:S0168-8278(21)00302-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.04.037. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND & AIMS: A holistic insight on the relationship between obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease is an unmet clinical need. Omics investigations can be used to investigate the multifaceted role of altered mitochondrial pathways to promote nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a major risk […]

Ruth Lupu | Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA

Pilar Blancafort | Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, Australia

Francesca Cutruzzolà | Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

Tomás Alarcón | ICREA-Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM), Reus, Spain

Sílvia Osuna | ICREA-Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC), Girona, Spain

Josep Sardanyés | Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM), Barcelona, Spain

José Antonio Encinar | Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain

Vicente Micol | Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain

Antonio Segura-Carretero | Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain

Jorge Joven | Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Reus, Spain

Carlos Peña Garay | Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC), Spain

Menendez grup. Research group photo
Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance

CONTACT US

Campus IDIBELL
(L’Hospitalet del Llobregat)
Hospital Duran i Reynals, Gran Via 199,
L’Hospitalet del Llobregat,
Barcelona 08908
Tel. +34 93 260 7952

Campus IGTP-IJC
(Badalona)
Campus Can Ruti – IGTP – Building Muntanya,
Rd. Can Ruti, Camí de les escoles s/n,
Badalona, Barcelona 08916
Tel. +34 93 554 3069

Campus IDIBGI
(Girona)
Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià de Salt, Dr. Castany s/n,
Salt, Girona 17190
Tel. +34 872 987 087

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