Horizons in Metabolism: Cell-Specific Metabolism

Dr. DeNicola is the Leader of the Metabolism Program at Moffitt Cancer Center. After completing her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. David Tuveson, she pursued postdoctoral training with Dr. Lewis Cantley at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine. She joined Moffitt Cancer Center in 2016, where she served as the Interim Chair of the Department of Metabolism and Physiology from 2022-2025.

Dr. DeNicola’s research has made significant contributions to understanding the role of the transcription factor NRF2 in cellular transformation and tumorigenesis, with an emphasis on metabolic reprogramming in cancer. Her laboratory investigates NRF2-regulated and sulfur metabolism using mouse models and mass spectrometry metabolomics. Her work has identified metabolic vulnerabilities in lung cancer, including the discovery of cysteine dioxygenase as a metabolic liability in NRF2 active non-small cell lung cancer and mechanisms by which the glutathione synthesis machinery can both prevent and promote ferroptosis.

Dr. DeNicola’s contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the PanCAN-AACR Pathway to Leadership Award, the NCI MERIT Award, and the V Foundation Scholar Award. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Cancer Research, the Journal of Experimental Medicine, Cancer & Metabolism, and Ferroptosis & Oxidative Stress, and is a standing member on the NCI CCB study section.

Beyond her research, Dr. DeNicola has played a pivotal role in advancing the field of cancer metabolism through her co-organization of the Cancer Metabolism Showcase and Workshop, a virtual conference highlighting the work of trainees in the field. In 2023, Dr. DeNicola received the Research Educator of the Year award from Moffitt, highlighting her commitment to mentoring the next generation of cancer researchers.

Dr. Jian Shu is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology at MIT, as well as an Associate Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Shu was the valedictorian at Peking University, where he studied stem cell biology and cellular reprogramming with Dr. Hongkui Deng. He was a Helen Hay Whitney Fellow, working at the intersection of single-cell genomics and stem cell biology in Dr. Eric Lander’s lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, as well as Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch’s lab at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT.

Dr. Jian Shu joined the faculty at MGH/Harvard Medical School and established his lab in January 2021. The Shu Lab’s research focuses on developing scalable experimental and computational methods to decode and translate the various ‘languages’ (data modalities) of biology across different scales — from molecules to cells, tissues, and organisms. These methods aim to unify different perspectives and maps of cell and tissue biology, significantly reducing the need for multiple measurements and shifting biology from direct measurement to prediction and generation through AI. The long-term goal is to build digital twins of multicellular systems and virtual simulators of living systems.

Dr. Shu has received awards and grants from the NIH New Innovator Award DP2, the Pathway to Independence Award K99/R00, the NIH Common Fund Cellular Senescence Network UG3/UH3, NIAID R01, NIAID P01, NIDA R01, MLSC, the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, Additional Ventures SVRF, Additional Ventures Expansion Award, MGB, the Leo Foundation, the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and SPARC at the Broad Institute.

Ramon Sun, Ph.D., is the Anne and Oscar Lackner Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Florida. He is Director of the Center for Advanced Spatial Biomolecule Research, the nation’s largest spatial metabolomics center. Dr. Sun’s research dissects metabolism across scales, from cellular biochemistry to organismal physiology, by integrating spatial biology, advanced imaging, and artificial intelligence. His work focuses on uncovering how metabolic regulation shapes neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and aging. Dr. Sun has pioneered approaches that map biochemical networks with spatial and temporal precision, advancing understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and pediatric sarcomas. His group develops technologies that merge mass spectrometry imaging, multi-omics integration, and computational modeling to resolve long-standing questions in metabolism and disease biology. He has been recognized with multiple NIH grants, including R01 and R35 funding, and is a finalist for the Falling Walls 2025 Life Science Breakthrough of the Year for his innovations in spatial metabolomics and AI.

Kathryn Wellen is a Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University studying the role of adipose tissue inflammation in metabolic diseases. She performed postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on cancer cell metabolism and metabolic signaling mechanisms. Her work there played an important role in establishing the concept that epigenome is sensitive to metabolism, with the demonstration that histone acetylation is responsive to acetyl-CoA production by the enzyme ATP-citrate lyase in mammalian cells. Her lab continues to be broadly interested in links between cellular metabolism, signaling, and gene regulation in metabolic diseases and cancer. Her honors include the 2023 Sable Award for Outstanding Contribution to Metabolic Physiology and the 2023 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research.

Dr. Russell Jones investigates metabolism at the cellular level to understand how it affects cell behavior and health, with a specific eye on cancer and the immune system. By revealing how cancer cells use metabolic processes to fuel their growth and spread, he hopes to develop new treatments that help patients by changing the standard of care for cancer.

Cancer cells have voracious appetites for nutrients and energy, which they use to grow and spread. Dr. Evan Lien searches for ways to deprive tumors of their fuel sources by exploring the molecular and biochemical interactions between diet, metabolism and cancer with the goal of developing breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies.

Dr. Kelsey Williams joined VAI in 2018 as a scientific project leader in the Russell Jones Lab. In 2021, she became the scientific program manager for the Institute’s Metabolism and Nutrition (MeNu) Program. She holds a Ph.D. in fiber and polymer science from North Carolina State University.