Metabolic Cell Death in Cancer: Innovative Therapeutic Avenues for Cancer Treatment

Metabolic cell death represents a rapidly evolving and intricate field within cancer research. Recent studies have elucidated multiple forms of regulated cell death triggered by the disruption of metabolic homeostasis, such as ferroptosis, cuproptosis, disulfidoptosis, lysozincrosis, and alkaliptosis. These newly identified cell death modes are associated with specific metabolic imbalances and exhibit distinct molecular characteristics and pathway dependencies. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying these forms of cell death could pave the way for innovative cancer therapies, particularly in addressing therapy resistance.

This Research Topic aims to explore the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in regulated metabolic cell death, emphasizing ferroptosis, cuproptosis, disulfidoptosis, and other emerging cell death mechanisms, and to assess their therapeutic potential. Key objectives include elucidating metabolic alterations that sensitize cancer cells to these distinct modes of regulated cell death, identifying novel therapeutic targets, and exploring how these vulnerabilities can be exploited clinically. The topic also aims to determine how triggering metabolic cell death pathways may overcome established resistance to conventional cancer therapeutics and enhance treatment efficacy.

To gather further insights into current knowledge gaps, ongoing experimental approaches, and clinical translation opportunities in the context of metabolic cell death in cancer, we welcome original studies, reviews, and methodological advances addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Mechanisms underlying metabolic cell death, including ferroptosis, cuproptosis, disulfidptosis, and other cell death manners.
• Therapeutic potential and identification of novel pharmacological targets capable of selectively triggering these cell death pathways in cancer cells
• Metabolic reprogramming and its contribution to cancer cell survival, tumor aggressiveness, and therapeutic resistance
• Research on the role of metabolic vulnerabilities in tumor progression and resistance to conventional therapies
• Development and implementation of innovative and robust experimental models and technologies for investigating metabolic-dependent regulated cell death in preclinical and clinical cancer studies


Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.

Keywords: cell death, programmed cell death, ferroptosis, cuproptosis, disulfidptosis

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.