Targeting Metabolic Vulnerabilities to Selectively Eliminate Cancer Cells
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2026 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cytokines; electroporation; innate immunity; protein-protein interaction; 2D gel electrophoresis; primary cell culture; cells; cancer cells; confocal fluorescence microscopy; immunoblotting
Interests: oncology; combination chemotherapy; cancer stem cells; cellular plasticity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer cells undergo significant biochemical and physiological changes in the process of acquiring malignancy. A wide array of signaling and metabolic pathways are modified to support the possibility of continuous and uncontrollable cell division. Multiple cancer-associated metabolic alterations have been described, including the well-known Warburg effect, elevated lactate production, increased glutamine metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, and reduced fatty acid oxidation. Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells could be partially associated with altered epigenetic regulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes through the processes of acetylation and methylation. While providing substantial benefits for rapidly dividing cancer cells by satisfying the increased demand in nutrients and modulating the metabolite content in the tumor microenvironment, metabolic reprogramming creates numerous vulnerabilities that can be targeted to selectively eliminate cancer cells without causing damage to non-cancerous ones.
This Special Issue of Cells will consider the potential of cancer-specific metabolic and physiological vulnerabilities in developing novel cancer treatment strategies. We welcome original research, comprehensive reviews and perspectives articles covering recent progress in strategies to exploit cancer cell vulnerabilities, provide enhanced therapeutics, and improve patient outcomes.
Dr. Nina Semenova
Dr. Juan Sebastián Yakisich
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cancer cell metabolism
- cancer cell signaling pathways
- cancer epigenetic regulation
- nutrient deprivation
- tumor microenvironment
- chemotherapy
- chemoresistance
- radiotherapy
- cell death
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