External Seminar: Panayiotis NTZIACHRISTON

Eirini TROMPOUKI invites: Panayiotis NTZIACHRISTON – Ghent University

« Metabolic vulnerabilities in acute leukemia: from RNA regulation to CNS adaptation« 

 Abstract: Acute leukemia cells exploit metabolic plasticity to sustain growth, resist therapy, and adapt to distinct tissue niches. I will present two vignettes illustrating how these adaptations create therapeutic vulnerabilities. First, I will discuss how dysregulated m6A RNA methylation and the demethylase FTO regulate oncogenic and metabolic programs in T-ALL, including MYC and cholesterol/mevalonate metabolism, and their contribution to CNS disease. Second, I will present our work identifying NAMPT-dependent NAD+ salvage as a metabolic vulnerability in systemic and CNS leukemia. Targeting NAMPT suppresses DHFR and enhances sensitivity to antifolates, including in methotrexate-resistant models. Together, these studies highlight metabolic dependencies associated with leukemia progression, CNS involvement, and therapy resistance