Diet and Metabolic Therapeutics in Cancer
Forum Chairs
Forum Description
Nutrition exerts profound effects on health, and dietary interventions are commonly used to treat diseases of metabolic etiology. Although cancer has a substantial metabolic component, the development of principles that define whether nutrition and new metabolic therapies may be used to influence tumor outcome are in the beginning stages. Nevertheless, it is also established that targeting metabolic pathways with longstanding chemotherapy agents or radiation can sometimes lead to controlled therapeutic outcomes. In contrast, whether specific dietary interventions could influence the metabolic pathways that are targeted in standard cancer therapies is not well known. Now, recent work has emerged showing that changes in caloric intake, macronutrient composition, and the balance of specific macronutrients in the diet also influence cancer.For example, a diet high in fat and low carbohydrates can affect the outcome of tumors with defined mechanisms of dysregulated insulin signaling. We and others have shown that changes to the amino acid content in diets can influence metabolism related to the uptake of that nutrient in the tumor which in turn affects cancer outcomes by affecting the metabolic flux in a tumor-specific vulnerable metabolic pathway. Thus, there are emerging studies and mechanism linking nutrition and diet to cancer biology and therapy.We propose to organize a Focus Meeting that brings together current and emerging leaders whose work bridges the nutrition-cancer interface to discuss their work in the new interdisciplinary field of ‘Nutrition and Cancer Metabolism’ and to explore its potential as a novel area for therapeutic intervention. We aim to bring together scientists who bring diverse perspectives to the table to discuss key questions in the field and identify important future directions.
Forum Summary
The foundation hosted a hybrid virtual/in-person meeting at the beautiful Asilomar conference center in Pacific Grove CA. About two-thirds of the participants attended in-person and one-third attended virtually. It was chaired by Heather Christofk, PhD (UCLA), Navdeep Chandel, PhD (Northwestern University), and Jason Locasale, PhD (Duke University). Several of the virtual attendees participated almost throughout the entire meeting allowing for a highly interactive hybrid engagement. The meeting attendance included three new Forbeck Scholars, Allison Ringel, PhD, Robert Banh, PhD and Ana Gomes, PhD.
The meeting focused on cancer metabolism with an emphasis on therapy. The two general areas focused on the emerging area of diet and nutrition in cancer therapy and new areas of research in developing drugs that target the altered metabolism in cancers. Throughout the meeting there were talks on possibly modifying carbohydrate, fate and protein intake to influence cancer and both new drug targets as well as repurposing approved drugs such as the diabetes drugs metformin and the kidney glucose transporter inhibitor for cancer therapy.
The meeting opened with a session on diet and cancer, beginning with a talk by Lew Cantley, PhD who discussed his model of carbohydrate intake and Insulin signaling in cancer. Katy Wellen, PhD discussed dietary fructose and acetyl-coA sources for lipid synthesis including carnitine metabolism. Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD discussed ketogenic diets and their diverse effects on lung cancer progression and host toxicity including cachexia. Ana Gomes, PhD discussed methylmalonic acid in cancer and aging. It concluded with a presentation from Karen Vousden, PhD who discussed the possibilities of altering dietary changes to the amino acid serine in influencing cancer outcome. The next session developed the theme of metabolism and cell fate, an aspect of basic science linked to cancer metabolism and therapies. It began with Lydia Finley who discussed how the citric acid cycle can determine cell fate of embryonic cells. Kathrin Plath, PhD highlighted the role of tryptophan metabolism role in development. The session concluded with discussions on nutrient sensing by mTor from David Sabatini, MD and Jason Locasale, PhD who discussed methionine, another possible cancer dietary intervention with effects on cell fate and healthspan. The next day’s opening session focused on diet and tumor immunity. It was highlighted by several interesting conceptual talks including Lydia Lynch’s (PhD) work on dietary fat composition and its effects on cancer and the immune system and Allison Ringel’s (PhD) work on obesity and inflammation in cancer. Russell Jones and Sue Kaech, PhD discussed how metabolism controls function of T cells and macrophages, respectively. Chi Dang, MD, PhD discussed the importance of circadian rhythms and cellular pH controlling cancer progressiona and tumor immunity. The final session focused on metabolic therapeutics and began with Eileen White’s (PhD) work on targeting autophagy and cancer, brought up past concepts in the meeting including the use of metformin in cancer by Navdeep Chandel, PhD. Robert Banh, PhD discussed serine metabolism and protein translation. Heather Christofk, PhD, Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD, and Ralph Deberardinis, MD, PhD discussed their efforts to investigate metabolism in cancer patients with implications for therapeutics. Overall, the meeting inspired a number of great discussions on emerging concepts in areas of nutrition, cancer and metabolism-based therapies. New work in the future including developing collaborations are anticipated.
Venue & Travel Information
800 Asilomar Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Travel Forms
Travel forms are due 30 days prior to the start of the forum to allow enough time to plan transportation.
To help reduce transportation costs, the Foundation tries to group travelers on shuttle vans rather than providing transportation for single travelers. The times below are not exclusive but represent times that we hope to have shuttles leave the airport.
The Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is the preferred airport as it is only 20 minutes from the venue.
- Arrival day of the forum at approximately 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM
- Departures from the venue at approximately 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 12:00 PM
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is 2 hours from the venue without traffic. The Foundation tries to prioritize International Flights and situations where flying into SFO is significantly cheaper than connecting to MRY. The times below are for guidance only, and depending on the volume of travelers, we may add an additional shuttle to and from the airport.
- Arrival day of the forum at approximately 3:00 PM
- Departures from the venue at approximately 10:00 AM
Travel Policy
Please familiarize yourself with our policies and procedures for travel. We truly appreciate you taking the time to participate in this forum. As you make your plans, please remember that we are a nonprofit organization dependent on donations and volunteers. We do NOT pay for upgrades, change fees, incurred costs resulting from a flight change, transportation to or from your local (home side) airport, meals or other incidentals.
- Travel Confirmation will be sent out within 1 week of the forum. This will include a hotel confirmation number, if there is one, and airport transfer details. We have to wait until we receive almost everyone’s travel to book airport transfer. Due to frequent airline changes, we wait until the week of the forum to send this out.
- Airport transfer is provided by Foundation staff, volunteers or arranged shuttle at specific times. If you opt to utilize Foundation airport transportation on your travel form, please be patient in receiving this information. We will send it to the week of the forum.
- Speaker agenda is not sent out prior to the forum. It will be provided upon arrival in the forum packet. We do not tell people when they are speaking because we expect everyone to attend all sessions. Sessions are all day Friday and Saturday.
- REMINDER: We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling. We will not honor miscellaneous receipts sent for these expenses.
- Spouses are welcome to come with you at their own cost but are not allowed to attend the forum. Please no children.
What the Foundation Pays
Accommodations and meals are provided by the foundation during the forum. Airfare will be covered only if booked in accordance with our policy and only up to the amount in which you were approved for. The Foundation will also cover airport transportation on the forum side at the designated shuttle times. You can select not to utilize Foundation arranged transportation at your own expense when completing the travel form. Once your travel form is received your accommodations and airport transfer will be confirmed. Please let us know of any food allergies or other information we should be aware of on the travel forms.
- Note we do not cover upgrades, changes, late bookings, etc.
- Flights must be booked at least 30 days prior to the forum to confirm your accommodations and airport transfer.
- As a nonprofit we utilize volunteers and other methods to maximize our efforts (or our donor support) when making accommodations and arranging ground transportation. Ground transportation will be provided upon your arrival either by a foundation volunteer or arranged shuttle. You will be provided airport transportation information the week of the forum. We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling.
Abstracts
Abstracts are due 30 days prior to the start of the meeting to allow enough time to prepare the meeting book.
The abstracts should be only one or two paragraphs outlining the theme of your presentation and should reflect the objective and spirit of the meeting (see above). Abstracts will be circulated about one week before the meeting. The meeting organizer will start requesting them a month before the meeting.
Forum Structure
The structure of the forum has been developed over years of experience.
- Participants have approximately 45 minutes, depending on the number of participants, for their presentation and discussion. The presentation is meant as a conversation start and should last about twenty minutes briefly covering background information and areas that are new or need further input. This should be structured in such a way as to lead to a lively discussion. Participants are encouraged to interrupt to ask questions or start discussions.
- A MAXIMUM of 2 slide equivalents per presentation is allowed (Power point slides should not contain more than one graph or gel per slide and no more than 5 bullet points to stress the points being made by the presenter.) We appreciate cooperation with the spirit of this guideline. Handouts are welcome but should be distributed before sessions.
- Everyone is expected to actively participate in every session and discussions.
- The time spent at the forum is relatively short, so please be familiar with papers received prior to arrival.
- It is very important that you commit to all sessions of the 2 days of the forum.
Forbeck Scholars Participation
Scholars are selected for each Forbeck Forum. These are outstanding junior clinical or post-doctoral fellows selected based on the quality and relevance of science.
- Scholars present for 30-45 minutes, depending on the number of participants
- The same presentation rules apply for scholars
- After the Forum you are selected to attend, you will attend three years of Scholar Retreats held in Lake Geneva, WI. If you attend a Fall Forum, you will attend the Spring Retreat. If you attend a Spring Forum you will attend a Fall Retreat.
- Scholars are selected by the Foundation Scientific Advisory Board and peer reviewers selected from past Forbeck Scholars.
General Program
The outline below illustrates a typical program schedule. You will receive a complete schedule, including speaking times, the Thursday the forum starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of our most Frequently Asked Questions. If you have something new to ask, please feel free to contact us.
- Travel Confirmation will be sent out within 1 week of the forum. This will include a hotel confirmation number, if there is one, and airport transfer details. We have to wait until we receive almost everyone’s travel to book airport transfer. Due to frequent airline changes, we wait until the week of the meeting to send this out.
- Airport transfer is provided by Foundation staff, volunteers or arranged shuttle at specific times. If you opt to utilize Foundation airport transportation on your travel form, please be patient in receiving this information. We will send it to the week of the forum.
- Speaker agenda is not sent out prior to the meeting. It will be provided upon arrival in the meeting packet. We do not tell people when they are speaking because we expect everyone to attend all sessions. Sessions are all day.
- Frequently airport transfer is provided by volunteers. Please be patient on receiving this information. Airport transfer will be sent out prior to arrival.
- REMINDER: We do not reimburse for home side airport transfer or incidentals while traveling. We will not honor miscellaneous receipts sent for these expenses.