Polyamine Metabolism in Brain Tumors: Uncovering a Metabolic Dependency
Location
Mailman Auditorium
Start Date
14-4-2027 12:00 PM
End Date
14-4-2027 1:00 PM
Description
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain malignancy in adults and remains exceptionally difficult to treat, with a median survival of only about 15 months despite current therapies. The limited effectiveness of current treatments highlights the need to better understand the biological processes that support tumor growth and identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities. One area of interest is polyamine metabolism, a metabolic pathway that is frequently altered in cancer and supports numerous cellular processes associated with tumor progression. However, the contributions of individual polyamines to brain tumor biology remain poorly defined. This work investigates how polyamine metabolism influences glioblastoma, particularly the role of the polyamine spermine and the enzyme that produces it, spermine synthase (SMS). Preliminary findings suggest that altering SMS-dependent spermine production affects multiple tumor-associated properties in experimental models of glioblastoma, supporting a broader role for this pathway in malignant tumor behavior. Ongoing studies use cellular, molecular, proteomic, and in vivo approaches to define how changes in polyamine metabolism influence glioblastoma biology and to identify potential mechanisms underlying these effects. Together, this work aims to improve our understanding of polyamine-dependent processes in brain tumors and determine whether this metabolic pathway may represent a vulnerability that can be therapeutically targeted.
About the presenter:
Alexandra Carbone began her scientific training as an undergraduate student at Nova Southeastern University, where she developed an interest in cancer biology and molecular signaling through research experiences in both cancer and cardiovascular biology. During this time, she studied G-protein-coupled receptor signaling in cardiovascular disease in Dr. Anastasios Lymperopoulos’s laboratory at the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy and investigated oncogenic cell-cycle signaling in Dr. Appu Rathinavelu’s laboratory at the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research. Motivated to expand her scientific training and pursue questions in cancer biology, Alexandra began her doctoral studies at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is currently a fourth-year Cancer Biology Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Scott Welford’s laboratory, where she studies how small molecules known as polyamines contribute to the biology and aggressiveness of glioblastoma. Her research integrates in vitro and in vivo models with cellular and molecular techniques to uncover mechanisms that support malignant brain tumor growth and identify potential vulnerabilities that may be therapeutically targeted.
Polyamine Metabolism in Brain Tumors: Uncovering a Metabolic Dependency
Mailman Auditorium
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary brain malignancy in adults and remains exceptionally difficult to treat, with a median survival of only about 15 months despite current therapies. The limited effectiveness of current treatments highlights the need to better understand the biological processes that support tumor growth and identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities. One area of interest is polyamine metabolism, a metabolic pathway that is frequently altered in cancer and supports numerous cellular processes associated with tumor progression. However, the contributions of individual polyamines to brain tumor biology remain poorly defined. This work investigates how polyamine metabolism influences glioblastoma, particularly the role of the polyamine spermine and the enzyme that produces it, spermine synthase (SMS). Preliminary findings suggest that altering SMS-dependent spermine production affects multiple tumor-associated properties in experimental models of glioblastoma, supporting a broader role for this pathway in malignant tumor behavior. Ongoing studies use cellular, molecular, proteomic, and in vivo approaches to define how changes in polyamine metabolism influence glioblastoma biology and to identify potential mechanisms underlying these effects. Together, this work aims to improve our understanding of polyamine-dependent processes in brain tumors and determine whether this metabolic pathway may represent a vulnerability that can be therapeutically targeted.
About the presenter:
Alexandra Carbone began her scientific training as an undergraduate student at Nova Southeastern University, where she developed an interest in cancer biology and molecular signaling through research experiences in both cancer and cardiovascular biology. During this time, she studied G-protein-coupled receptor signaling in cardiovascular disease in Dr. Anastasios Lymperopoulos’s laboratory at the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy and investigated oncogenic cell-cycle signaling in Dr. Appu Rathinavelu’s laboratory at the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research. Motivated to expand her scientific training and pursue questions in cancer biology, Alexandra began her doctoral studies at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is currently a fourth-year Cancer Biology Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Scott Welford’s laboratory, where she studies how small molecules known as polyamines contribute to the biology and aggressiveness of glioblastoma. Her research integrates in vitro and in vivo models with cellular and molecular techniques to uncover mechanisms that support malignant brain tumor growth and identify potential vulnerabilities that may be therapeutically targeted.