Research report 2020 - Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology
Starving cancer cells
Authors
Ziegler, Slava; Waldmann, Herbert
Departments
Abteilung "Chemische Biologie"
Summary
Tumours grow much faster than healthy tissue. Cancer cells get the energy and building blocks they need by a ten times higher sugar uptake compared to normal body cells. One could say that cancer cells are addicted to sugar. We exploit this natural weakness and put cancer cells on a radical sugar diet by applying a series of self-developed active substances so that they starve and die.