Speaker: Dr. Maria Rohm
Head of Division Tissue Crosstalk, Institute for Diabetes and Cancer, Neuherberg, Germany
Presentation
Host: Metabolism in Physiology Interest Group (MIP) - IRB Barcelona
Node: Cell Pathophysiology / Preclinical Models of Cancer
Date: Wednesday 10 June 2026, 12:00h
Place: Auditorium Room - PCB
Cancer cachexia is a complex metabolic disorder marked by unintentional body weight loss or 'wasting' of body mass, driven by multiple aetiological factors operating at various levels. Tumour-host interaction and maladaptive metabolic reprogramming are substantial, yet poorly understood, contributors to cachexia.
An integrated analysis of multi-tissue metabolomics, RNA sequencing and 13C-glucose tracing data from mice with cancer cachexia of different models and at different disease stages provided a comprehensive overview of the spatio-temporal metabolic reprogramming during cachexia. We identified a tissue-overarching pathway characteristic for metabolic wasting in mice and patients that was linked to glucose hypermetabolism and atrophy in muscle. Further, we highlighted an important contribution of liver-derived lipid mediators to muscle functional impairment. An overarching driver of these metabolic adaptations seemed to be inflammation, both at the level of inflammatory cytokines and immune cell malfunction.
Together, I will highlight recent evidence that tissue crosstalk and multi-tissue metabolic coordination contribute to cachexia pathogenesis.
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