hrs4r
 I want to donate

The Metabolism and Cancer group adopts the view that cancer diseases are governed by metabolic reprogramming. Our laboratory pursues to understand the contribution of dysregulated metabolism in cancer initiation, drug resistance, and metastatic progression using laboratory-based experimental and computational tools through completion of clinical proof-of-efficacy in cancer patients.

Main lines of research
  1. Metabolism and cancer
  • Mechanistic understanding of metabolism-driven tumorigenesis
  • Metabolic mechanisms of cancer drug resistance
  • Identification of metabolic vulnerabilities as pharmacological targets for cancer therapy
  • Metabolomics and metabolic markers for early detection and clinical monitoring of cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance
  • Metabolo-epigenetics: Molecular aspects, computational modeling, and therapeutic development of precision medicine approaches

 

  1. Mitochondrial dynamics and cancer
  • Role of autophagy and mitochondria fussion/fission in the generation of cancer stem cells
  • Mitochondrial dynamics-targeted therapeutics for cancer therapy

 

  1. Natural biocompounds and cancer
  • Discovery and molecular characterization of natural biocompounds with anti-cancer properties
  • Pre-clinical development and clinical evaluation of natural biocompounds-based anti-cancer drugs

 

  1. Metabolo-immunotherapy
  • Identification of metabolic nodes and small-molecule metabolites essential for the regulation of immune checkpoints in cancer cells
  • Metabolic and dietary interventions to boost the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
  • Computational development and pre-clinical validation of in silico clinical trials platforms for testing new metabolo-immunotherapy approaches

 

  1. Computational systems biology in aging-driven cancer
  • Conceptual frameworks, stochastic tools, and wet-lab validation of metabolic and metabolo-epigenetic models of aging-driven cancer
Strategic objectives

To advance new metabolism-based anti-cancer therapeutics.

Publications
Steen TV, Espinoza I, Duran C, Casadevall G, Serrano-Hervás E, Cuyàs E, Verdura S, Kemble G, Kaufmann SH, McWilliams R, Osuna S, Billadeau DD, Menendez JA, Lupu R

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) inhibition cooperates with BH3 mimetic drugs to overcome resistance to mitochondrial apoptosis in pancreatic cancer.

NEOPLASIA, 2025, 62, 101143-101143 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neo.2025.101143
López, J, Llop-Hernández, A, Verdura, S, Serrano-Hervás, E, Martinez-Balibrea, E, Bosch-Barrera, J, Teixidor, E, López-Bonet, E, Martin-Castillo, B, Sardanyés, J, Alarcón, T, Lupu, R, Cuyàs, E, Menendez, JA

Mitochondrial priming and response to BH3 mimetics in "one-two punch" senogenic-senolytic strategies

Cell Death Discovery, 2025, 11, 91-91 dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02379-y
Espín, R, Medina-Jover, F, Sigüenza-Andrade, J, Farran-Matas, S, Mateo, FSigüenza, Figueras, A, Sanz, RT, Vicent, GP, Shabbir, A, Ruiz-Auladell, L, Racionero-Andrés, E, García, I, Baiges, A, Franco-Luzón, L, Martínez-Tebar, A, Pardo-Cea, MA, Martínez-Iniesta, M, Wang, XC, Cuyàs, E, Menendez, JA, Lopez-Cerda, M, Muñoz, P, Richaud, I, Raya, A, Fabregat, I, Villanueva, A, Serrat, X, Cerón, J, Alemany, M, Guix, I, Herencia-Ropero, A, Serra, V, Krishnan, R, Mekhail, K, Hakem, R, Bruna, J, Barcellos-Hoff, MH, Viñals, F, Aytes, A, Pujana, MA

Harnessing transcriptional regulation of alternative end-joining to predict cancer treatment

Nar Cancer, 2025, 7 dx.doi.org/10.1093/narcan/zcaf007
Jiménez-Franco A, Castañé H, Martínez-Navidad C, Placed-Gallego C, Hernández-Aguilera A, Fernández-Arroyo S, Samarra I, Canela-Capdevila M, Arenas M, Zorzano A, Hernández-Alvarez MI, Castillo DD, Paris M, Menendez JA, Camps J, Joven J

Metabolic adaptations in severe obesity: Insights from circulating oxylipins before and after weight loss

CLINICAL NUTRITION, 2024, 43, 246-258 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2023.12.002
Menendez JA, Cuyàs E, Encinar JA, Steen TV, Verdura S, Llop-Hernández À, López J, Serrano-Hervás E, Osuna S, Martin-Castillo B, Lupu R

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) signalome: A molecular guide for precision oncology

MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, 2024, 18, 479-516 dx.doi.org/10.1002/1878-0261.13582
Verdura S, Encinar JA, Gratchev A, Llop-Hernández À, López J, Serrano-Hervás E, Teixidor E, López-Bonet E, Martin-Castillo B, Micol V, Bosch-Barrera J, Cuyàs E, Menendez JA

Silibinin is a suppressor of the metastasis-promoting transcription factor ID3

Phytomedicine, 2024, 128, 155493-155493 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155493
Cuyàs E, Pedarra S, Verdura S, Pardo MA, Espin Garcia R, Serrano-Hervás E, Llop-Hernández À, Teixidor E, Bosch-Barrera J, López-Bonet E, Martin-Castillo B, Lupu R, Pujana MA, Sardanyès J, Alarcón T, Menendez JA

Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a tumor-cell-intrinsic metabolic checkpoint restricting T-cell immunity.

Cell Death Discovery, 2024, 10, 417-417 dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41420-024-02184-z
Teixidor-Vilà E, Trallero J, Puigdemont M, Vidal-Vila A, Hernandez-Martínez A, Sais E, Sabaté-Ortega J, Verdura S, Menendez JA, Bosch-Barrera J, Sanvisens A, Marcos-Gragera R

Lung cancer survival trends and prognostic factors: A 26-year population-based study in Girona Province, Spain.

LUNG CANCER, 2024, 197, 107995-107995 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2024.107995
Teixidor-Vilà, E, Verdura, S, JA Encinar, Llop-Hernández À, Sais, E, Hernández Martínez A, ROMERA, A., Brunet JM, Martin-Castillo B, Lopez-Bonet, E, Bosch-Barrera, J, Cuyàs, E, Menendez, JA

1039P Discovery of a novel inhibitor of PD-L1 maturation that overcomes adaptive resistance to cancer immunotherapy

ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY, 2024, 35, 697-697 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2024.08.1097
Canet-Hermida J, Marín F, Dorca E, Dueñas N, Costa L, Salinas M, Velasco À, Peremiquel-Trillas P, Paytubi S, Ponce J, Fernández S, Martínez JM, Cárdenas L, Taltavull A, Alemany L, Meléndez C, Oliveras G, Vidal A, Capellá G, López-Bonet E, Brunet J, Matias-Guiu X, Pineda M

Highly Sensitive Microsatellite Instability and Immunohistochemistry Assessment in Endometrial Aspirates as a Tool for Cancer Risk Individualization in Lynch Syndrome

MODERN PATHOLOGY, 2023, 36, 100158-100158 dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100158
Competitive projects
Codi oficial: CP20/00003 Start date:01/01/2021 Data fi: 31/12/2025 Investigador/a principal: ELISABET CUYÀS NAVARRO, JAVIER ABEL MENÉNDEZ MENÉNDEZ Organisme finançador: INSTITUTO DE SALUD CARLOS III
Codi oficial: 2021 SGR 01507 Start date:01/01/2022 Data fi: 30/06/2025 Investigador/a principal: BEGOÑA MARTIN CASTILLO Organisme finançador: AGÈNCIA DE GESTIÓ UNIVERSITARIS I RECERCA
Codi oficial: PID2022-141955OB-I00 Start date:01/09/2023 Data fi: 31/08/2026 Investigador/a principal: JAVIER ABEL MENÉNDEZ MENÉNDEZ Organisme finançador: MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA E INNOVACION
Codi oficial: PI22/00297 Start date:01/01/2023 Data fi: 31/12/2025 Investigador/a principal: JAVIER ABEL MENÉNDEZ MENÉNDEZ, ELISABET CUYÀS NAVARRO Organisme finançador: INSTITUTO DE SALUD CARLOS III
Codi oficial: FI23/00043 Start date:01/01/2024 Data fi: 31/12/2027 Investigador/a principal: ELISABET CUYÀS NAVARRO, JÚLIA LÓPEZ ROMERO Organisme finançador: INSTITUTO DE SALUD CARLOS III
Transfer
Patents

Valiente Cortés Manuel, Priego Bendeck Neibla, Bosch Barrera Joaquim
MEANS FOR PREVENTING AND TREATING BRAIN METASTASIS
Número de publicació: EP20170382891
Data de publicació: 2019-06-26

Clinical Guidelines

- Nadal E,Bosch Barrera J,Cedrés S,Coves J,García Campelo R,Guirado M,López Castro R,Ortega AL,Vicente D,de Castro Carpeño J. SEOM clinical guidelines for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (2020).Clin Transl Oncol. 2021. 23. (5):p. 980-987. IF:3,405. (Q3).

Job offers

Team

Group leader - R4

Established researchers - R3

Postdoctorals researchers – R2

Predoctorals researchers – R1

Collaborators

If you are a researcher and you are interested in collaborating with any of our research groups, please fill in this form.
I am interested in
If you are a student or you want to do an internship with any of our research groups, please fill in this form.
I am interested in

About IDIBGI!

menu