Applications in Cancer

App Notes & Tech Briefs

  • Screening for Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Toxicity

    A sensitive and robust cell-based screening assay.

    Mitochondrial damage compromises ATP production and consequentially cellular viability. Given the central role that mitochondria play in regulating cellular function, drugs that undermine mitochondrial function frequently elicit toxic effects...

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  • Defining metabolic phenotypes in cancer cells

    Kinetic assay reveals the dynamic interplay of oxidative phosphorylation and glycolytic pathways

    Malignant transformation of cells is often characterized by aerobic glycolysis, the conversion of glucose into lactate, despite the presence of oxygen. This metabolic shift, known as the Warburg effect, can occur as a result of the activation or mutation of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, or as an adaptive response to hypoxia...

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  • Measuring glycolysis and oxidative metabolism in cancer cells

    Real-time assay enables scientists to connect metabolic pathways with oncogenic phenotypes

    Measuring the metabolic pathways in cancer cells, and their co-dependent or compensatory interplay, is important for understanding transformation mechanisms, mechanisms of malignant growth, cancer cell drug resistance, and for discovering potential drugs that are relatively specific for cancer cells...

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  • Metabolic Pathway Determination Using the XF24 Analyzer

    Measure Mitochondrial Respiration and Glycolysis Simultaneously

    The XF24 Analyzer non-invasively measures physiological changes in cellular bioenergetics and metabolic pathways in vitro using optical biosensors in a 24-well format. Shifts between mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis as a result of genetic, pharmacologic or environmental manipulation can be measured in a single assay. XF24 assays provide increased throughput in a drug discovery format.

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  • Bioenergetic analysis of suspension cells: hematopoietic stem cells and lymphocytes

    A real time assay that quantifies the ATP and biosynthetic demands of immune cell proliferation, differentiation and effector function.

    Normal suspension cells, such as hematopoietic cells and lymphocytes are responsible for supplying oxygen to the body and protecting the host. Cellular metabolism is markedly dynamic in immune responses during proliferation and immune effector functions...

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Publications

Technical Posters

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The XF Analyzer enables the measurement of cancer metabolism in real time, in a microplate. In minutes, the XF Analyzer measures oxygen consumption rate (OCR)—a measure of mitochondrial respiration —as well as extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), a measure of glycolysis. With just a small number of cells, scientists can measure the effects of up to four compounds on cellular metabolism, determining the basal oxygen consumption and glycolysis rates; respiratory capacity; mitochondrial dysfunction; fatty acid oxidation, uncoupling; ATP turnover; glucose, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism and cell signaling in primary, adherent, tumor and suspension cells or islets, and isolated mitochondria. Studies utilizing the XF are revealing the metabolic dependencies of cancer cells on glucose and potential therapies. Scientists can determine whether a cancer is addicted to glucose or glutamine, and establish which pathway to target for intervention.

Imagine if Otto Warburg had an XF Extracellular Flux Analyzer...

Otto Warburg

In 1931, German biochemist Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in understanding cancer metabolism, revealing that cancer cells burn sugar (glycolysis) differently than normal cells, preferring to burn sugar over energy rich fats even when cellular oxygen conditions favor mitochondrial fat burning. Warburg hypothesized that cancer is caused by mitochondrial dysfunction forcing the cells to use aerobic glycolysis instead of β oxidation (OXPHOS). Today, his observation is known as the "Warburg Effect" and is widely accepted as fundamental to Cancer biology. But the belief that it is a mitochondrial defect remains a debate. Warburg made his discovery with a device of his own design referred to as the "Warburg Apparatus"—a manometer that measures mitochondrial oxygen consumption of cells.

Much easier to use than the Warburg Apparatus, the Seahorse XF Extracellular Flux Analyzer is playing a key role in the current resurgence in research into cancer cell metabolism, the Warburg Effect and drugs that affect it.