To determine whether this metabolic change could be used to treat tumors with KRAS or BRAF mutations, the team tested an investigational drug called bromopyruvate, which inhibits glucose metabolism. Results showed that the drug blocked cancer growth in mice with implanted human tumors containing KRAS or BRAF mutations and had no toxic side effects in the mice.

The research was funded by the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research and National Institutes of Health.

Additional participants in the research include Jihye Yun, Carlo Rago, Ian Cheong, Phillipp Angenendt, Kerstin Schmidt, Shibin Zhou, Luis A. Diaz Jr., Victor Velculescu, Kenneth W. Kinzler of Johns Hopkins; Ray Pagliarini of Novartis, Harith Rajagopalan of Brigham and Women's Hospital; James K.V. Wilson of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Sandy Markowitz of Case Western Reserve University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Christoph Lengauer of Sanofi-Aventis.

Under agreements between the Johns Hopkins University, Genzyme Molecular Oncology, Novartis, Wyeth, Amgen, Glaxo-Smith-Kline and Horizon, Yun, Velculescu, Rajagopalan, Pagliarini, Lengauer, Kinzler, Vogelstein, and Papadopoulos are entitled to a share of the royalties and licensing fees received by the University on cell lines described in this news release, some of which are the subject of patent applications. The University and Velculescu, Kinzler and Vogelstein also own stock in Genzyme, which is subject to certain restrictions under University policy. The terms of these arrangements are being managed by the University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.

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