Caleb Cheng

Beyond grateful to share that my main PhD thesis project, Targeting PIKfyve-driven lipid metabolism in pancreatic cancer (@LyssiotisLab @ArulChinnaiyan), has just been published in @Nature! @UMRogelCancer @UMICHpancreas @UMichMedSchool @UMichPath @UMichResearch @UMichCMB

In this final installment of our "Resipher in Action" series, @DJCalebC et al. identify PIKfyve, a lipid kinase essential for lysosomal function, as a metabolic vulnerability in pancreatic cancer. Inhibiting PIKfyve disrupted lipid recycling, forcing cancer cells to rely on de novo lipogenesis. Resipher was used to measure oxygen consumption in PDAC cells following PIKfyve inhibition, revealing that—unlike other lysosomal inhibitors—PIKfyve blockade did not reduce basal mitochondrial respiration. This finding helped distinguish the mechanism of metabolic stress as lipid-dependent rather than mitochondrial impairment. Resipher provided crucial real-time OCR data to clarify how cancer cells adapt metabolically when lipid homeostasis is disrupted. View the full publication here >>> #Sec11" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">nature.com/articles/s4158… #PancreaticCancer #LipidMetabolism #MetabolicStress #Resipher

I’m excited to share new work out of the lab at @NYULangone led by @kenjifujihara! We took a first principles approach to evaluating #ferroptosis induction for cancer therapy via targeting the SLC7A11-glutathione-GPX4 axis. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

In a new study, @LyssiotisLab and team found that the FDA-approved drug fedratinib can lead to contact site formation between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, providing a potential therapeutic avenue. Learn more about the study at michmed.org/5Gmdb.

@AACR #AACRras26 was a fantastic opportunity to hear about the latest science, discuss our own science, and build collaborations!

BRD4-mediated ER membrane contact creates functionally distinct mitochondrial subtypes dlvr.it/TRJxsk

This critical conference will convene leaders from academia, industry, biotech, government, non-profits, and foundations to define the current state and future directions of RAS cancer research. We thank the #AACRras26 chairs for developing an outstanding program.

Dr. Yi Bao’s path to cancer research began with a painful loss: watching a family member endure chemotherapy for lung cancer, only to gain a few more months of life. That experience drove him to pursue a PhD in cancer biology, and today his work is uncovering new ways to make immunotherapy work for more patients. michmed.org/JDj9r

Let’s gooo 🔥

Congratulations to @yuanyuan_qiao, PhD, of @UMichPath, on her 2025 Investigator Award for her research to determine how fats and cholesterol fuel the growth of GEP-NETs. Learn more: ow.ly/Umo950Yiiol #NETRFGrant #GEP-NETs #neuroendocrinecancer @UMRogelCancer

Check out this story from @UMichPath about star research investigator Jie Luo!⭐️

Let’s goooo!! 🏅

We had a great time celebrating Lunar New Year this past week! Wishing everyone a prosperous and joyful year ahead🐎🧧🧨#Yearofthehorse

The Chinnaiyan lab is on twitter!

So excited to see this out!! Congrats Brandon and team! This will open to many doors to future exciting projects

Super excited to share our recent work on ependymomas spearheaded by the indomitable @shiva251993. nature.com/articles/s4158…

Congratulations to @AlexHonnold on your historic free solo ascent of the Taipei 101! Thank you for coming to #Taiwan & showing the world that, with courage & a dream, anything is possible.

@lyssiotis @NeilVasan @CantleyLab @LyssiotisLab Wow, very impressive work. Clinically, this would suggest that inhibiting PIKfyve would dampen STING response. Seems to contrast (though different mechanisms) another recent study aacrjournals.org/cancerimmunolr…

@NeilVasan @CantleyLab Thanks for tagging! @LyssiotisLab, @DJCalebC

Very few known effectors for PI(3,5)P2 (ATG18, etc.) despite critical role in biology. Here authors show that PI(3,5)P2 is a ligand for STING signaling with companion structural paper. Could be interesting to co-target PIKfyve and STING in the clinic. @CantleyLab @lyssiotis @Samuel_Bakhoum

Congrats to @UMPhysiology postdoc @radykm for receiving a NIH MOSAIC K99/R00 grant from @NIGMS to study the role of altered cell metabolism during the precancerous stages and tumor initiation of pancreatic cancer. @LyssiotisLab @YatrikShahLab @UMRogelCancer

A new suitor emerges for Revolution Medicines ft.com/content/93b4e8… Via @mroliverbarnes