Understanding the Role of Ketolytic Enzymes in Lung Cancer Progression

ketolytic enzyme function.

Understanding the role of ketolytic enzymes in lung cancer progression.

Project is Not Currently Available

This project is not being offered for the current term. Please check back next semester for updates.

Project description

Cancer cells have altered metabolism and consume significantly more glucose than normal cells, a phenomenon that is called the Warburg effect. This predilection towards glucose has the potential to be used to target cancer cells by reducing the amount of glucose in the blood stream through a fasting diet or blood glucose lowering drugs. However, while there is evidence that glucose starvation can
contribute to improved outcomes in specifically lung cancer patients, it has also become clear that this association is not uniform in all analyzed cohorts, implying that certain tumor characteristics might lead to disparate results. Our long term goal is to understand how exploiting metabolic characteristics of tumors can be used for targeted therapeutic strategies to improve disease outcome. The objective
here is to determine how changes in the expression of ketolytic enzymes, that are involved in energy metabolism contribute to lung cancer cell survival. For this project, the student will work with a panel of human lung cancer cell lines and use cell and molecular biological methods to identify, characterize and further analyze differences between these cell lines in regard to their ability to utilize glucose or
other energy sources with a specific focus on the role of ketolytic enzymes.

Project outcome

The overall goal is for the students to develop research skills that are specific for the biomedical field. In particular, students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of core knowledge in cell and cancer biology and to design. Students will understand the basis of experimental design and rigorous scientific experimentation and will perform controlled cell and molecular biological experiments using techniques such as mammalian tissue culturing, a variety of cell
biological assays to assess cellular function and viability, quantification of mRNA expression by real-time PCR and statistical analyses or research data. Through collecting and analyzing research data, students will apply critical thinking and analytical skills to solve scientific data sets and apply scientific methods to solve problems. Throughout the project students will verbally present and discuss
research findings during regular research group meetings and develop appreciation of steps of scientific discovery such as data presentation and scientific interactions with peers. At the end of the project, students will be able to disseminate research findings in form of oral presentation or poster presentations at local, regional or national meetings. Any data that the students generate that are
included in a published manuscript will result in the student being named as a contributing author. 

Project details

Timing, eligibility and other details
Length of commitment Longer than a semester; 6-9 months
Start time Spring (January 22, 2025)
In-person, remote, or hybrid? In-Person Project (Can only function with in-person engagement)
Level of collaboration Individual Student Project
Benefits Stipend
Who is eligible All undergraduate students 

Project mentor

Wilma Hofmann

Associate Professor

Physiology and Biophysics

Room 4132, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Phone: (716) 829-3290

Email: whofmann@buffalo.edu

Start the project

  1. Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
  2. After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.) 

Preparation activities

Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase. 

  • Standard EH&S lab safety training
  • Meet with PI to discuss project 

Keywords

Physiology and Biophysics, cancer, biology, cell biology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences