Objective
Cancer lethality is most often associated to occurrence of distant metastases. To grow and become aggressive, cancers may undergo 2 critical adaptations: the glycolytic switch, corresponding to uncoupling glycolysis from the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and the angiogenic switch, promoting neovascularization. In this high risk/high gain research program, we propose that the glycolytic switch precedes and promotes angiogenesis and metastatic dissemination in most types of cancer. We further envision that lactate, the end product of glycolysis, interfaces glycolysis and the latter processes through activation of hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1. A thorough characterization of the molecular pathway(s) initiated by lactate (using transcriptomic, gene silencing, enzymatic and pharmacological interventions) has the potential to unravel new therapeutic targets that would simultaneously inhibit the consequences of the glycolytic switch on cancer aggressiveness. We anticipate the plasma membrane lactate transporters of the (sodium) monocarboxylate transporter (S)MCT family to be key determinants of autocrine and paracrine lactate signaling in cancer. Modulation of their activity or expression (notably by the generation of (S)MCT knock out mice) could thus profoundly affect tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Since hypoxia is a hallmark of cancer and glycolysis its direct consequence in cancer cells surviving to hypoxia, the findings could have important consequences for the treatment of virtually all types of cancers. It could also impact our understanding of other pathologies, such as wound healing and heart infarction, in which the interplay between glycolysis, HIF-1 activation and angiogenesis could play a critical role.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkali metals
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pathology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2009-StG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
1348 LOUVAIN LA NEUVE
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.