Cancer Metabolism: From Molecules to Medicine

This lecture explores the fundamental mechanisms of cancer metabolism, tracing the journey from Otto Warburg's seminal observation in the 1920s to modern therapeutic strategies. Cancer cells exhibit dramatically altered metabolic pathways that support rapid proliferation, immune evasion, and survival under nutrient stress. Key topics include the Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis), oncogene-driven metabolic reprogramming through MYC, RAS, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, and the role of the tumor microenvironment in shaping metabolic dependencies. The lecture also covers glutamine addiction, lipid biosynthesis, one-carbon metabolism, and mitochondrial rewiring as emerging therapeutic targets. Clinical implications are discussed in depth, including metabolic imaging (FDG-PET), combination strategies pairing metabolic inhibitors with immunotherapy, and the promise of personalized metabolic profiling. The presentation concludes with an overview of ongoing clinical trials and future directions in targeting cancer metabolism for precision oncology.