A better understanding of cancer metabolism for a more efficient immunotherapy

Cancers are the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases in industrialized countries, so there is an urgent need to deepen the knowledge of the metabolism and the microenvironment of cancer cells. In fact, new efficient therapeutic approaches are emerged in order to produce the energy required for blocking their proliferation, migration and metastasis. Cancer cells and host cells can use different bioenergetic fuels exchanged across plasma membranes via a special gate called Monocarboxylate Transporters (MCTs), passive transporters that ensure a bidirectional exchange depending on the concentration gradient of their substrates. Two MCT isoforms have been extremely studied and mainly expressed in different cancer cells called MCT1 and MCT4 [1]. Since MCTs gate the activity of different bioenergetics fuels, a new strategy for anticancer treatments will be to target them with specific drugs in the form of MCT inhibitors. Pr. Pierre Sonveaux team are still working on the characterization and the development of these anti-cancer strategies [2].