Is there a speed trap for CAR T cells in solid tumors? Join me in my webinar on Thursday- I discuss how an understanding of bioenergetics can explain how CAR T cells lyse their target cells
https://t.co/7gXQl9DKQG
Master metabolism with 9 steps/arrows
Here’s my shortcut to remembering it in just 9️⃣ arrows:
1️⃣ Glu → Fru → Pyr
(Glucose → Fructose → Pyruvate)
This is glycolysis — the breakdown of glucose into pyruvate for quick energy.
💡 Example: Eat bread, glucose enters your cells, and is converted to pyruvate to start producing ATP.
2️⃣ Pyr → ACoA → TCA
(Pyruvate → Acetyl-CoA → TCA Cycle)
When oxygen’s available, pyruvate becomes Acetyl-CoA and runs through the TCA (Krebs) cycle for sustained energy.
💡 Example: A post-lunch walk taps into this aerobic pathway.
3️⃣ TCA → NADH → ETC → ATP
(TCA products → NADH → Electron Transport Chain → ATP)
The TCA cycle generates NADH, which powers the electron transport chain to make ATP — your cellular energy currency.
💡 Example: Your brain uses that ATP to keep you sharp while studying.
4️⃣ G6P ↔ PPP → NADPH + Ribose
(Glucose-6-Phosphate → Pentose Phosphate Pathway → NADPH + Ribose)
This detour from glucose creates NADPH (for antioxidant defense) and ribose (for DNA/RNA synthesis).
💡 Example: Immune cells use NADPH to neutralize pathogens.
5️⃣ Pyr → Lac
(Pyruvate → Lactate)
In low-oxygen conditions, pyruvate shifts to lactate.
6️⃣ Pyr → OAA → Gluconeogenesis
(Pyruvate → Oxaloacetate → Glucose)
During fasting, pyruvate is turned into oxaloacetate, then glucose, to maintain blood sugar.
💡 Example: After 10+ hours without food, your liver makes glucose for your brain.
7️⃣ ACoA → FAs → TAGs
(Acetyl-CoA → Fatty Acids → Triglycerides)
Excess energy is stored as fat.
💡 Example: Too many sweets? Your body parks the surplus as belly fat.
8️⃣ FAs → β-ox → ACoA → TCA
(Fatty Acids → Beta-Oxidation → Acetyl-CoA → TCA)
When carbs run low, fat becomes your fuel.
💡 Example: After 14 hours of intermittent fasting, fat breakdown kicks in.
9️⃣ AAs → Pyr / ACoA / TCA
(Amino Acids → Pyruvate or Acetyl-CoA or TCA)
Amino acids can feed into different energy pathways, depending on type.
💡 Example: In prolonged starvation, muscle protein is converted into energy intermediates.
@MisterJohnDoyle@KuperSimon Circa 96’ we used to pile into “The Hurlers Pub” on campus in UL to watch his entertainers play. Very appealing brand of soccer: Beardsley, Ferdinand, Ginola, Shearer, Asprilla, Gillespie all in the one team! Shame he didn’t pull off the Premiership that year. Left too soon…
Seeing this mitochondrial reconstruction for the first time with @MitoLoveLab was one of the most exciting sight ever! It changed my life.
What do you see?
The story behind cristae alignment here: https://t.co/MPIUrLRxJH
Our new paper in @natBME: A “leukemia-on-a-chip” developed in collaboration with NYU lets us track CAR T cells in real time, seeing them act in a human-like system. Big thanks to everyone involved! @PennMedicine@PennPathLabMed https://t.co/YaR1DjROcd
@ProfTimNoakes That’s a resting interstitial concentration of 5mM? I estimate that would make plasma levels close to 10mM after overnight sleep. Do they measure plasma glucose? Also very high VO2 max levels.
(TPCPA), a proteomic resource that provides proteome-scale quantifications of 999 tumors across 22 cancer types in a unified manner, for discovering tumor biology, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets. https://t.co/nmz96N26mq