The Role of Cell Signaling Pathway Starvation Therapy for Cancer
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Signaling".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 22
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue explores cell signaling pathways in starvation therapy, a strategy targeting the oncogenic signaling networks (e.g., PI3K-AKT-mTOR, HIF, and c-Myc) that drive cancer's metabolic reprogramming. Tumors rewire pathways governing nutrient uptake (glucose, amino acids, and lipids) and utilization to fuel growth. Starvation therapy aims to disrupt these signals, cutting off the tumor's nutrient supply.
Key approaches include inhibiting glucose transporters/kinases, restricting serine/glycine availability, and blocking glutamine metabolism or lipogenic enzymes. Critically, these interventions not only directly starve cancer cells but also reshape the tumor microenvironment. They can activate immunostimulatory pathways, modulate immune checkpoint expression, and overcome immunosuppression. Advanced delivery systems enhance specificity.
While promising, challenges remain, such as tumor heterogeneity, compensatory metabolic pathways, systemic toxicity, and the identification of predictive biomarkers. Future success hinges on optimizing combinatorial strategies, integrating starvation therapy effectively with immunotherapy, targeted agents, and nanotechnology for precise clinical translation.
This Special Issue will offer reviews and original research on cell signaling pathways in starvation therapy in cells and animal model studies.
Prof. Dr. Niramol Savaraj
Dr. Min You
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- signaling pathways
- nutrient deprivation
- starvation therapy
- metabolic reprogramming
- metabolic pathways
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