Profiling metabolic networks to study cancer metabolism

Cancer is a disease of unregulated cell growth and survival, and tumors reprogram biochemical pathways to aid these processes. New capabilities in the computational and bioanalytical characterization of metabolism have now emerged, facilitating the identification of unique metabolic dependencies that arise in specific cancers. By understanding the metabolic phenotype of cancers as a function of their oncogenic profiles, metabolic engineering may be applied to design synthetically lethal therapies for some tumors. This process begins with accurate measurement of metabolic fluxes. Here we review advanced methods of quantifying pathway activity and highlight specific examples where these approaches have uncovered potential opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

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► Metabolic dependencies that arise in tumors may present new opportunities for therapy.
► Advanced methods in metabolic systems biology can help identify these dependencies.
► Application of isotope tracers to cancer models can facilitates quantitation of fluxes.
► Tumors with compromised TCA metabolism exhibit unique metabolic profiles.