Sophia Lunt
Assistant Professor | Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI, UNITED STATES
The Lunt Lab focuses on understanding the role of metabolism in supporting cancer proliferation, heterogeneity, and metastasis.
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Biography
The Lunt Lab focuses on understanding the role of metabolism in supporting cancer proliferation, heterogeneity, and metastasis. We combine powerful mass spectrometry, cell biology, genetic models of cancer, and fluorescent agents to investigate alterations in this complex disease. We aim to rationally design more effective, personalized therapies for cancer based on metabolic targeting.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Cells
Metabolomics
Molecular Biology
Mass Spectrometry
LC-MS
Education (3)
MIT: Postdoc, Cancer Biology 2015
Princeton University: Ph.D., Chemistry 2010
Lebanon Valley College: B.S., Chemistry 2005
with Highest Honors
Links (3)
News (5)
New Joint Research Merges Solar Power Research and Cancer Treatments
BioSpace online
2019-10-28
Michigan State University researchers Sophia Lunt and Richard Lunt, a married couple, work in different departments, but have found a common ground that could lead to cancer diagnostics and therapies.
Can solar technology kill cancer cells?
MSU Today online
2019-10-25
Scientific breakthroughs don’t always happen in labs. For Sophia and Richard Lunt, Michigan State University researchers, many of their breakthroughs happen during neighborhood walks.
Sophia Lunt Traces the Effect of Metabolism on Cancer Metastasis
The Scientist online
2019-04-01
Sophia Lunt’s career in cancer research started with soap. “Soap is both polar and nonpolar, so it binds to nonpolar grease and also to polar water when you go to wash it away,” the Michigan State University chemist says, recalling a high school science lesson. “I thought that was really cool and wanted to learn more about molecules.”
New Inventor Spotlight: Sophia Lunt
Michigan State University: Innovation Center online
2018-08-30
An assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University since 2016, Dr. Sophia Lunt’s research focuses on investigating metabolic regulation in cancer and aims to use metabolic targeting to design effective, personalized therapies for the complex disease
MSU researcher receives prestigious grant award to advance cancer investigations
College of Natural Science online
2016-04-19
Sophia Lunt, MSU assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) in the College of Natural Science (NatSci), is one of only four scientists nationally to receive a 2016 NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research from the AACR.
Journal Articles (5)
Modulating cellular cytotoxicity and phototoxicity of fluorescent organic salts through counterion pairing
Scientific Reports2019 Light-activated theranostics offer promising opportunities for disease diagnosis, image-guided surgery, and site-specific personalized therapy. However, current fluorescent dyes are limited by low brightness, high cytotoxicity, poor tissue penetration, and unwanted side effects.
Integrated analyses of murine breast cancer models reveal critical parallels with human disease
Nature Communications2019 Mouse models have an essential role in cancer research, yet little is known about how various models resemble human cancer at a genomic level. Here, we complete whole genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling of two widely used mouse models of breast cancer, MMTV-Neu and MMTV-PyMT.
Genomic and metabolomic analysis of step-wise malignant transformation in human skin fibroblasts
Carcinogenesis2019 Metabolic changes accompanying a step-wise malignant transformation was investigated using a syngeneic lineage of human fibroblasts. Cell immortalization was associated with minor alterations in metabolism. Consecutive loss of cell cycle inhibition in immortalized cells resulted in increased levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS).
Metabolomic profiling of mouse mammary tumor derived cell lines reveals targeted therapy options for cancer subtypes
bioRxiv2019 Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with several subtypes that currently do not have targeted therapy options. Metabolomics has the potential to uncover novel targeted treatment strategies by identifying metabolic pathways required for cancer cells to survive and proliferate.
Sialic Acid Metabolism: A Key Player in Breast Cancer Metastasis Revealed by Metabolomics
Frontiers in Oncology2018 Metastatic breast cancer is currently incurable. It has recently emerged that different metabolic pathways support metastatic breast cancer. To further uncover metabolic pathways enabling breast cancer metastasis, we investigated metabolic differences in mouse tumors of differing metastatic propensities using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.
