Understanding Metabolic Drivers of Osteosarcoma Tumors

Tumor cells can easily adapt to changing micro-environments within the body. To survive, cancer cells take advantage of available nutrients and oxygen in their environment. This helps cancer cells maintain their high energy needs that allow them to grow and spread. Tumor cells often use glucose (sugar) for their energy needs, a process which generates a substance called lactic acid. Cancer cells avoid toxicity from lactic acid by using two proteins responsible for moving lactate in and out of the cell. Researchers will investigate the regulation and functions of these proteins to learn more about how bone cancer cells maintain their metabolic needs in dogs with cancer. These findings will be used to guide development of more effective treatments for dogs with cancer.