Shambhavi Bhagwat

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Current advisor: Matthew L. Goodwin, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Ramnarain Ruia College, 2014

Enrollment year: 2021

Research summary
I am studying the role of lactate in the progression of Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a primary malignant bone tumor that mainly affects adolescents and young adults. Patient survival rate has not drastically improved in the last 30 years, even with the current therapeutic regime of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgical resection. Although molecular or genetic drivers of OS tumorigenesis are not well-defined yet, it is evident that OS tumor progression, like other cancers, can be influenced by metabolites present in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Clinically, OS is 18FDG-PET positive (based on glucose-uptake). However, recent in silico studies have shown that glucose has a very limited influence on growth of OS cells, while lactate can be utilized as a fuel source. In addition, OS tumors induce higher rates of glycolysis in the surrounding stromal cells, resulting in an excess in production and export of lactate via monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). MCTs are responsible for shuttling lactate between producing and consuming cells throughout the body. Targeting this lactate shuttling in tumors has recently become a promising focus for anti-cancer therapy. However, the importance of lactate in OS is yet to be determined. My thesis focuses on determining the role of lactate transport in OS progression.

Graduate publications