George Liepa Sigman XI Speaker Series

The George Liepa Sigma Xi Annual Speaker Series Endowed Fund at Eastern Michigan University presents:

Dr. Sophia Lunt

"Starving Cancer Away: Deciphering Metabolic Rewiring in Cancer

Dr. Sophia Lunt
 
Dr. Sophia Lunt

 

  •  Thursday, March 21, 2019
  • 7:00-8:00 p.m.
  • EMU Student Center Auditorium
    900 Oakwood Ave
    Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Dr. Sophia Lunt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. from Princeton University, where she uncovered the metabolic consequences of the anti-metabolite drug trimethoprim.

As a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, she was awarded the DoD CDMRP PRCRP Visionary Postdoctoral Fellowship to investigate the role of specific pyruvate kinase isoform expression in cancer. She has publications in top journals including Nature, Molecular Cell, and Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology.

Her laboratory at Michigan State University focuses on understanding the role of metabolism in supporting cancer proliferation, heterogeneity and metastasis. Her team combines powerful mass spectrometry, cell biology, and genetic models of cancer to investigate metabolic regulation in this complex disease. Dr. Lunt aims to rationally design more effective, personalized therapies for cancer based on metabolic targeting.

"Starving Cancer Away: Deciphering Metabolic Rewiring in Cancer"

Metabolism, the process of converting nutrients into energy and building blocks of life, is distinctly abnormal in cancers. Many cancers metabolize sugar differently than normal cells, and this key metabolic difference is known as the Warburg effect. The Warburg effect forms the basis for cancer diagnosis using PET imaging, but a definitive explanation for how it benefits cancer cells remains elusive and is not exploited it for therapy.

To target abnormal metabolism in cancer treatment, Dr. Lunt works to elucidate metabolic pathways indispensable for cancer growth. Her team investigates metabolic rewiring in cancer by integrating mass spectrometry-based metabolomics, genome editing, patient data and pre-clinical models of cancer. This work will lead to development of new treatment strategies targeting metabolic pathways to provide additional treatment options for cancer patients.

Dessert reception immediately following.

For more information please contact the Graduate School at 734.487.0042 or graduate_school@emich.edu. This event is free and open to the public.

History

Dr. George Liepa
 
Dr. George Liepa

 

The George Liepa Sigma XI Speaker Series Endowed Fund was established in 2011 in memory of Dr. George Liepa [PDF]. George was an active campus member of Sigma Xi, a professor of human nutrition and a department head in the College of Health and Human Services.

When the Graduate Research Fair was created, it was his idea to have a science-related speaker present at the end of the day. George secured funding from Sigma Xi National to start the event and was a key figure in helping to select the annual speaker as well as marketing the event to EMU students, faculty and local high schools.

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Previous George Liepa Sigma Xi Speakers:

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