Chemistry
How the Warburg Effect Describes Altered Glycolysis in Cancer Cells
Quick fact
Cancer cells can produce up to 200 times more lactate than normal cells, and this 'aerobic glycolysis' – named the Warburg effect – is the basis for the PET scan, a common cancer imaging technique that detects the high glucose uptake of tumors.
Why this is interesting
You've a cell that's starving for energy? Not really—cancer cells often churn through glucose at a furious pace, but they burn it in a way that seems to waste most of its potential. Why would a rapidly dividing cell choose a fuel-burning strategy that's so inefficient?