Evaluation of Dietary Modifications on Tumor Microenvironment and Immune Function
Our group is currently working to evaluate the impact of dietary modifications on genitourinary cancers. We have shown that with a reduction in overall dietary protein, there is a restriction of tumor growth, mTOR pathway activation, and M2 anti-inflammatory macrophage infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME). We have also found that restriction of a single amino acid is sufficient to direct changes in immune cells and are moving forward with combining dietary modifications with immunotherapeutic treatments such as SurVaxM (MimiVax) and anti-PD-1 antibody treatment with the expectation of a synergistic effect on tumor growth and immunomodulation.
Key Publications
- Orillion AR, Damayanti NP, Shen L, Adelaiye-Ogala R, Affronti HC, Elbanna M, Chintala S, Ciesielski MJ, Fontana L, Kao C, Elzey BD, Ratliff TL, Nelson D, Smiraglia DJ, Abrams SI, Pili R. Dietary protein restriction reprograms tumor associated macrophages and enhances immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Dec 15;24(24):6383-6395. PMID: 30190370
- Shen L, Sundstedt A, Ciesielski M, Miles KM, Celander M, Adelaiye R, Orillion A, Ciamporcero E, Ramakrishnan S, Ellis L, Fenstermaker R, Abrams SI, Eriksson H, Leanderson T, Olsson A, Pili R. Tasquinimod modulates suppressive myeloid cells and enhances cancer immunotherapies in murine models. Cancer Immunol Res. 2015 Feb;3(2):136-48. PMID: 25370534
- Pili R, Fontana L. Low-protein diet in cancer: ready for prime time? Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2018 May 15. PMID: 29765134
- Cordova RA, Misra J, Amin PH, Klunk AJ, Damayanti NP, Carlson KR, Elmendorf AJ, Kim HG, Mirek ET, Elzey BD, Miller MJ, Dong XC, Cheng L, Anthony TG, Pili R*, Wek RC, Staschke KA. GCN2 eIF2 kinase promotes prostate cancer by maintaining amino acid homeostasis. Elife. 2022 Sep 15;11:e81083. PMID: 36107759
- Cordova RA, Elbanna M, Rupert C, Orsi SA, Sommers NR, Klunk AJ, Shen L, Misra J, Hanquier JN, Tsompana M, Wang Y, Goodrich DW, Wek RC, Fontana L, Staschke KA, Pili R. Caloric restriction enhances the efficacy of anti-androgen therapy in prostate cancer by inhibiting androgen receptor translation. Cancer Res. 2025 Aug 8;10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-24-1986. PMID: 40779415