Biosketch

My name is Cristian Andres Carmona Carmona, and I am 27 seven years old. I studied Microbiology at the University of Antioquia, Colombia. Then I studied a master’s degree in Biomedical Research at the University of Valladolid, Spain. I have participated in different projects related with inborn errors of metabolism and diabetes.  Currently, I am a PhD student in Biomolecular Medicine at the University of Verona. I’m working in the laboratory of Professor Marta Palmieri. This laboratory is focused on the study of new strategies to inhibit the cellular proliferation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in animal and cellular models, with particular attention on the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance in tumors.

Project

PhD candidate: Cristian Andres Carmona Carmona
Supervisor: Marta Palmieri
Title: Role of glucokinase in cell death and cancer metabolism (GlucokinCC)
PhD Programme: Biomolecular Medicine

I am interested in the metabolic alterations of cancer cells. Metabolic reprogramming is crucial in the pathogenesis and proliferation of cancer cells. Tumors have high glucose uptake and lactate production in the presence of oxygen, a phenomenon known as Warburg Effect. Given the high energetic dependence of tumor cells, the inhibition of glycolysis could be a good strategy to reduce cell proliferation and increase cell death. The hexokinases are key enzymes in glycolysis because they convert glucose into glucose-6-phosphate. The goal of my PhD is to establish the role of hexokinases in cancer metabolism and cell death, especially if the biochemical inhibition of these enzymes could reduce the proliferation and development of tumor cells.