Cancer cells change their substrate preference to meet their needs for rapid proliferation and to adapt to the metabolic requirements in the microenvironment. For many years, Seahorse XF technology has facilitated the study of cellular metabolism, providing increased understanding of tumor cells' metabolic needs and helping in the design of cancer therapies. Check out these peer-reviewed publications to gain better understanding of substrate dependency and cancer biology:

• Understanding the intersections between metabolism and cancer biology.
  Vander Heiden and DeBerardinis, Cell (2017), 168: 657–669.
• A review of the basics of mitochondrial bioenergetics, metabolism, and related signaling pathways in cancer cells: Therapeutic targeting of tumor mitochondria with lipophilic cationic compounds.
  Kalyanaraman et al., Redox Biology (2018), 14: 316–27.

Metabolic programming is emerging as a critical mechanism for altering immune cell activation, lineage commitment, and function. XF Substrate Oxidation Stress Tests can be used with various types of immune cells to investigate substrate dependence or reliance on one or more substrates for correct immune cell differentiation and/or function.
Check out these peer-reviewed publications to gain better understanding of substrate influence and immune cell function:

• Induction of innate immune memory: The role of cellular metabolism.
  Domínguez-Andrés et al., Current Opinion in Immunology (2019), 56: 10–16.
• Fatty acid metabolism in CD8(+) T cell memory: Challenging current concepts.
  Raud et al., Immunological Reviews (2018), 283: 213–31.

Mitochondrial substrate oxidation is relevant for driving cell phenotype and function. The different metabolic requirements of the diverse cell types (normal or diseased) present a unique opportunity for the development of novel therapies in many disease areas.
Check out these peer-reviewed publications to learn about recent advances in the role of metabolism in drug discovery:

• Targeting metabolism to regulate immune responses in autoimmunity and cancer.
  Patel et al., Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (2019), 18: 669–688.
• Targeting immuno-metabolism to improve anti-cancer therapies.
  Beezhold and Byersdorfer, Cancer Letters (2018), 414: 127–35.

Learn more about metabolic reprogramming and substrate oxidation in other research areas (stem cell, cardiovascular, diabetic disease research, etc.):

Glutamine oxidation is indispensable for survival of human pluripotent stem cells.
Tohyama et al., Cell Metabolism (2016), 23(4): 663–74.