Research

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Title :

Targeting peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation to overcome resistance to therapy in breast cancer cells

Area of research :

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Focus area :

Biotechnology, Breast Cancer

Principal Investigator :

Dr. Sudhagar S, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER-G), Guwahati

Timeline Start Year :

2024

Details

Executive Summary :

Recent evidence suggests that cancer cells adopt a "lipolytic phenotype" due to their reliance on the Fatty acid Oxidation (FAO) pathway for energy, survival, and proliferation during metabolic stress. This phenotype is also linked to drug resistance, metastatic progression, and immune suppression. Cancer cells from adipocyte-rich environments, such as breast and ovarian, are more likely to adopt this phenotype. The peroxisome, a key site for FAO, engages using substrates like very long-chain fatty acids and branched-chain fatty acids. Targeting peroxisomal FAO could help develop novel therapies, such as targeting tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells and overcoming tamoxifen resistance in other cancer types.

Total Budget (INR):

49,04,891

Organizations involved