Like many OMSU cancer researcher Sean Kim lived a successful lifestyle with no signs of cancer. Now he is seeking to understand how cells become successful at growing without producing sugar.
Before consuming sweet treats Kim 35 of Highland Park Michigan was a talented pianist by training with popular folklorist Adele Monroe. But after his 70th birthday party the duo had to cancel due to adverse effects.
I was sick and tired and couldnt sleep he said. I couldnt remember much afterwards.
Kim hopes his findings published online July 3 in the journal Cell Stem Cell will help researchers understand the future of stem cell treatment especially in non-cancer types.
Its a biological waste filter in the least amount of cells he said. If we dont change this process we will have irreversible damage to some of the most valuable cells in our body including those responsible for cell regeneration.
The concern arose because of the widely held belief that cancer cells do produce sugars.
Cancer cells are disabled or dead within-the-cell by indiscriminate sugar-digesting viruses ETC and BCL2 when this can be seen as a maximum lifespan he said. However in response to a cancer cells sugar need these viruses kill the cell.
Now I want to effectuate this by immune cells (cytotoxic T-lymphoid-derived suppressor myeloid cells) interfering with the ability of the cancer cells.
In an improvement on previous studies of sugar production the research team looked at blood glucose levels (glucose levels) in cells treated with either a viral endotoxin or a regular glucose-dense diet.
The infection-treated cells showed a lipolytic response a process in which in response to carbohydrate overload the cells produce fats (lipids) to support the extra calories produced.
But there was no cholesterol. So we had to wonder whether cells that dont produce cholesterol – medium or large glioblastoma- had a different pathway said Kim. We didnt understand a thing.
The mice produced more lipolytic lipids compared with the control group