Center for Metabolomic Studies Seminar Series Featuring Gary J. Patti, PhD
Presentation: “Mechanisms for Co-opting Healthy Tissue Metabolism to Drive Tumor Growth”
Speaker: Gary J. Patti, PhD
Michael and Tana Powell Professor of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences
Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine
Director, Center for Metabolomics and Isotope Tracing
Washington University in St. Louis
Abstract:
Melanoma consumes 10 times more glucose than most healthy tissues in the body. Even when oxygen is available, much of the glucose carbon taken up is excreted as lactate or alanine. This talk will use metabolomics technologies to explore the biochemical basis of such a seemingly wasteful metabolic program. Further, using animal models and isotope tracers, we will describe the striking impact that melanoma metabolism has on whole-body physiology.
About the Speaker:
Gary Patti is the Michael and Tana Powell Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he holds appointments in the department of chemistry and the department of medicine. Patti is the Director of the Center for Metabolomics and Isotope Tracing, Co-Director of the Metabolic Kinetics Core in the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Director of Graduate Admissions for the Chemistry Department, and a member of the Siteman Cancer Center. Patti’s research focuses on developing and applying both mass spectrometry- and NMR-based metabolomics technologies to enhance our understanding of human metabolism. Applications of his work range from studies of molecular processes in cell culture to physiological regulation at the organ level in animal models and human patients. Patti has been recognized with numerous awards including the Pew Biomedical Scholars Award, the Alfred P. Sloan Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Mallinckrodt Scholar Award, and the inaugural NIEHS award for revolutionizing, innovative, and visionary research.