ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Tumor Metabolism, organized by Drs.
Joshua D. Rabinowitz, Marcia C. Haigis and David M. Sabatini. The conference will be held in Banff, Alberta
Canada from March 8-12, 2020.
The field of tumor metabolism is one of the oldest in cancer biology, dating back to the seminal work of Otto
Warburg in the 1920s. Clinical importance of tumor metabolism is well validated by the successes both of
FDG-PET imaging and of antimetabolites as chemotherapeutic agents. The recognition that oncogenes both
promote the Warburg effect and activate anabolic pathways has provided impetus for revitalized examination
of tumor metabolism. This conference brings together leaders in tumor metabolism to discuss ongoing efforts
to understand and target metabolism of proliferating cancer cells and their support network. This conference
will address key questions regarding the metabolism of proliferating cells, the unique metabolic features of
tumors, and the associated opportunities for therapeutic intervention, including at the interface between
metabolism and immunotherapy. A few key scientific questions that conference session will cover include (1)
which features of cancer cell metabolism are shared across proliferating cells, and which are cancer specific?
(2) what are the dependencies of tumors on host metabolism, and what is the impact of tumor metabolism on
host cells, including invading lymphocytes? and (3) how does signaling drive metabolism, and how does
metabolism impact signaling and cell fate decisions? Through discussion of these and other questions, the
conference aims to generate new scientific ideas, promote collaborations, and enhance dissemination of the
latest technologies and best practices for metabolic studies. As the premier venue sharing important
unpublished data in the tumor metabolism field, this conference will help to accelerate scientific discovery and
the development of new strategies to treat cancer.