Skip to main content
The William Harvey Research Institute - Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

Breadcrumb

  1. WHRI
  2. Study
  3. Barts Charity Doctoral Training Programme
  4. Projects
  5. BC-DTP_2026_28

Understanding and targeting methionine metabolism in lymphoma

Code: BC-DTP_2026_28

Title: Understanding and targeting methionine metabolism in lymphoma

Primary Supervisor: John Riches

Email: j.riches@qmul.ac.uk

Institute: Barts Cancer Institute

Secondary Supervisor: John Gribben

Email: j.gribben@qmul.ac.uk

Institute: Barts Cancer Institute

Lay Summary:

Cancer cells rewire their metabolism to support rapid growth. These changes can create weaknesses that new treatments can target. Our previous research showed that lymphoma cells—a form of blood cancer—depend on the nutrient serine to multiply. Blocking serine metabolism slows their growth, suggesting a promising therapeutic strategy.

We now aim to understand why serine is so important for these cancers. One key reason may be that serine helps generate “one-carbon units,” which are needed to recycle another nutrient, methionine. Methionine supplies methyl groups—small chemical tags added to DNA and proteins that help control which genes are turned on or off. Many lymphomas carry mutations in genes involved in these methylation processes. This means they may need a steady supply of methyl groups to maintain the abnormal patterns of gene regulation that drive cancer growth.

Our hypothesis is that lymphoma cells rely on serine and methionine to fuel these abnormal methylation patterns, making methionine metabolism a therapeutic target.

Aims:

  • Understand how methionine metabolism shapes the epigenetic landscape (gene-regulating chemical marks) of lymphoma.
  • Determine how this metabolic pathway interacts with specific genetic mutations found in lymphoma.
  • Identify new metabolic therapies that could be used alone/in combination with existing epigenetic treatments.

We will analyse metabolites and proteins in human lymphoma cell lines and patient samples, then test promising therapeutic approaches in pre-clinical models. This research will identify new metabolic vulnerabilities and guide the development of targeted treatments, ultimately aiming to improve outcomes for lymphoma patients.

Back to top