Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic dysfunction in cancer

Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer can lead to complications including the development of metabolic dysfunction. As metabolic dysfunction in patients increases the risk of cancer reoccurrence and death, there is a necessity for treating such conditions. There is currently limited knowledge regarding the development of this complication, thus the primary aim of this PhD project was to investigate the underlying mechanisms leading to metabolic dysfunction in cancer.

Using different mouse models and muscle tissue from patients with cancer, this PhD project showed that skeletal muscle becomes insulin resistant in cancer, where multiple proteins within the muscle were affected. Here, a specific protein called AMPK was found to have a protective effect of metabolic dysfunction in cancer.

Collectively, this PhD project provides a greater understanding of what happens to muscle in the context of cancer and metabolic dysfunction.

Read more: https://nexs.ku.dk/english/calendar/2022/phd_steffen-henning-raun/

Opponents
Associate professor Anke Ninija Karabanov (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Group leader Maria Rohm, Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, Helmholtz Munich, Germany.

Associate professor Bert Blaauw, Department Biomedical, University of Padova, Italy.

Supervisor
Associate professor Lykke Sylow, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Co supervisor
Professor Erik Richter, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.