Alexander Muir, PhD

Our group is interested in understanding the metabolic adaptations that allow cancer cells to grow and proliferate, causing tumor growth. To understand how cancer cell metabolism works to fuel tumor growth, we use metabolomics techniques to catalog what nutrients are in the microenvironment of tumors. This provides us with a "menu" of nutrients that cancer cells could potentially metabolize to fuel their growth. Once we know the "menu" for different tumor types, we then use a variety of experimental tools from metabolomics to CRISPR gene editing to determine which nutrients cancer cells actually consume from the "menu", and which metabolic pathways process these nutrients. From these experiments, we are delineating the biochemical underpinnings of cancer cell growth.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Post-doctoral fellow - Tumor Metabolism
2019

University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
PhD - Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology
2015

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
BA/BA - Biology/Romance Languages and Literature
2009

Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism.
Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism. Cell Chem Biol. 2023 09 21; 30(9):1156-1168.e7.
PMID: 37689063

Tumor interstitial fluid analysis enables the study of microenvironment-cell interactions in cancers.
Tumor interstitial fluid analysis enables the study of microenvironment-cell interactions in cancers. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2023 10; 83:102970.
PMID: 37494818

Pancreatic tumors exhibit myeloid-driven amino acid stress and upregulate arginine biosynthesis.
Pancreatic tumors exhibit myeloid-driven amino acid stress and upregulate arginine biosynthesis. Elife. 2023 05 31; 12.
PMID: 37254839

Uridine-derived ribose fuels glucose-restricted pancreatic cancer.
Uridine-derived ribose fuels glucose-restricted pancreatic cancer. Nature. 2023 Jun; 618(7963):151-158.
PMID: 37198494

Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism.
Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism. bioRxiv. 2023 Feb 27.
PMID: 36909640

Biotin-dependent cell envelope remodelling is required for Mycobacterium abscessus survival in lung infection.
Biotin-dependent cell envelope remodelling is required for Mycobacterium abscessus survival in lung infection. Nat Microbiol. 2023 03; 8(3):481-497.
PMID: 36658396

The requirement for mitochondrial respiration in cancer varies with disease stage.
The requirement for mitochondrial respiration in cancer varies with disease stage. PLoS Biol. 2022 09; 20(9):e3001800.
PMID: 36149877

Bcl-xL Enforces a Slow-Cycling State Necessary for Survival in the Nutrient-Deprived Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer.
Bcl-xL Enforces a Slow-Cycling State Necessary for Survival in the Nutrient-Deprived Microenvironment of Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res. 2022 05 16; 82(10):1890-1908.
PMID: 35315913

Cell-programmed nutrient partitioning in the tumour microenvironment.
Cell-programmed nutrient partitioning in the tumour microenvironment. Nature. 2021 05; 593(7858):282-288.
PMID: 33828302

Arginase Therapy Combines Effectively with Immune Checkpoint Blockade or Agonist Anti-OX40 Immunotherapy to Control Tumor Growth.
Arginase Therapy Combines Effectively with Immune Checkpoint Blockade or Agonist Anti-OX40 Immunotherapy to Control Tumor Growth. Cancer Immunol Res. 2021 04; 9(4):415-429.
PMID: 33500272

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