The researcher Carlos Sebastián leads the UB Laboratory of Metabolic Dynamics in Cancer.
The Laboratory of Metabolic Dynamics in Cancer is focused on the study of the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells.
The Laboratory of Metabolic Dynamics in Cancer of the UB, led by researcher Carlos Sebastián and focused on the study of the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells, has arrived in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). With this move, the laboratory has entered "a privileged scientific environment that will promote synergies and collaborative efforts with other public research groups and businesses in an innovative ecosystem", notes Carlos Sebastián, Beatriz Galindo tenured university lecturer at the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the Faculty of Biology and member of the Institute of Biomedicine of the UB (IBUB).
Cancer cells have to readjust their metabolism in order to get the necessary energy and metabolites to satisfy their energy and anabolic demands and keep a high rate of cell division and growth. This metabolic reprogramming is an essential trait of all cancer cells and is directly regulated by the oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the metabolic heterogeneity and evolution of cancer as well as the precise molecular mechanisms that promote the metabolic reprogramming and its biological consequences.
"Understanding the specific metabolic properties of different cell subtypes within tumours, their association with the destination and phenotype of cancer cells and their role in the evolution of cancer is still a knowledge place to explore", notes Carlos Sebastián.
The Laboratory of Metabolic Dynamics in Cancer aims to understand the role of the metabolism as a regulator of the destination of stem cells, homeostasis and tumorigenesis of tissues, as well as the functional integration between the metabolic reprogramming and other genetic and epigenetic programs involved in these processes.
The research team led by Carlos Sebastián focuses on the study of the metabolic regulation of cancer and its crosstalk with the involved genetic and epigenetic factors in the tumorigenic process, a work line that will help to design innovative and efficient anticancer therapies.
