# Metabolic and signaling control of tumorformation in drosophila

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $352,275

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Drawing the fundamental blueprint of tumorigenesis and cancer metabolism is an
important and urgent issue for providing proper targets of cancer therapy. Drosophila
has long served as a genetic model for many developmental processes, but its
usefulness as a cancer research model has only recently been appreciated. The
signaling pathways that control glycolysis, tissue growth, cell survival, cell migration, and
mechanisms for enhancing oxygen supply to tumors in Drosophila show remarkable
conservation with mammalian systems. This study utilizes powerful genetic tools and
reagents available for the Drosophila model system to understand how signaling
pathways and metabolic enzymes affect tumor behavior. In particular, we will determine
the cause and function of aberrant and seemingly non-functional Notch accumulation
during tumor formation as well as analyze oxygen supply and metastasis within the
malignant tumor to assess how glycolysis, mitochondrial activity, and TCA cycle are
involved and influenced. This proposal consists of three major aims. Aim 1 describes
experiments aimed at discovering the molecular mechanism of aberrant Notch
accumulation and proposed non-canonical function in glycolytic tumors. In Aim 2 we
propose to characterize the regulatory factors on metabolic reprogramming during
angiogenesis and metastasis. Finally, in Aim 3, we will identify and characterize the non-
dual function of a glycolytic enzyme, which has a great potential to be a target of human
cancer therapy. The research we propose will lead to critical insights into how the
signaling pathways and glycolytic enzymes regulate cancer metabolism and influence
tumor progression.
The PI will be involved in mentoring and supervision of the work that will involve the
training of 2 postdoctoral fellows and 1 graduate student dedicated to this work.
Additionally, the laboratory traditionally trains a large number of undergraduates in
research. The typical undergraduate spends 2-3 years in the laboratory; postdocs, 5
years and graduate students 5-6 years. The main scientific disciplines our research
encompasses developmental biology and genetics. All graduate and postdoctoral
researchers involved are highly knowledgeable in these two fields, and the more
experienced members of the lab typically pass along this familiarity to newer members.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9899212
- **Project number:** 5R01CA217608-30
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** UTPAL BANERJEE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $352,275
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1990-01-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9899212

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9899212, Metabolic and signaling control of tumorformation in drosophila (5R01CA217608-30). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9899212. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*