Submission Tilte

Disrupting the Warburg Effect: Enzymatic Inhibition Strategies in Tumor Glycolysis

Submission Abstract:

The Warburg Effect, a hallmark of cancer metabolism, describes the preference of tumor cells for aerobic glycolysis, enabling rapid energy production and biosynthesis to fuel uncontrolled proliferation. This metabolic reprogramming is orchestrated by key glycolytic enzymes such as hexokinase, phosphoglucose isomerase, phosphofructokinase, aldolase, triosephosphate isomerase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate kinase, phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase. Targeting these enzymes offers a promising therapeutic avenue to starve cancer cells and sensitise them to existing treatments. This thematic issue aims to explore recent advances in the development of small-molecule inhibitors, RNA-based therapeutics, and natural compounds that specifically disrupt tumor glycolysis. It will also cover the integration of glycolytic inhibition with immunotherapy, challenges in clinical translation, and the use of metabolic imaging tools. By consolidating insights from molecular biology, pharmacology, and clinical oncology, this issue seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of glycolysis-targeted cancer therapies.