Project Title: Targeting mitochondrial metabolism
as the Achilles heel of cancer stem cells
Project Aims: Dr Sancho will focus on cancer stem cells, which live within tumours and drive the return and spread of cancer cells, even after aggressive chemotherapy. Cancer stem cells can be killed using drugs that cut off their primary energy source, but they can develop resistance and continue growing over time by switching to an alternative energy source. Dr Sancho will investigate more powerful drugs or combined treatments to attack the two main energy sources at the same time and eliminate the cancer stem cells for good.