Immunometabolism, a fundamental biogenic process that supports the function of immune cells, is often disrupted in diseases such as cancer. Tackling metabolic dysregulation at a cellular level has therefore emerged as a focus in drug development. However, as cellular metabolic rewiring takes place in response to both intrinsic factors, which can be targeted pharmacologically, and environmental changes, which cannot, fostering a homeostatic systemic metabolism through diet, exercise, and stress management is essential to support and sustain cellular fitness. This Essay conceptualizes immunometabolism as a process that can be regulated intrinsically and extrinsically and explores the potential for incorporating lifestyle changes and drug therapies that target immunometabolism into treatments for cancer.
Tan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.