Frigo Laboratory
Daniel E. Frigo, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Prostate Cancer
- Cancer Metabolism
- Endocrinology
- Genomics
- Drug Development
The Frigo Laboratory aims to identify and therapeutically target novel signaling pathways in prostate cancer. The lab is currently focused on understanding how various signaling pathways ¡ª such as those regulated by the androgen receptor, CAMKK2, AMPK, mTOR and MYC ¡ª drive the progression of prostate cancer subtypes. Interestingly, many of these signaling pathways converge at various metabolic nodes which causes a shift in oncogenic metabolism. These metabolic changes allow the cancer cells to utilize a diverse array of nutrients to the benefit of the cancer cell. A second major goal of the laboratory is to determine how systemic metabolism impacts tumor biology. Collectively, the long-term goal of our work is to exploit these newly uncovered pathways for therapeutic purposes.
Key Research Goals
- Identify the signaling pathways that promote prostate cancer progression
- Delineate the regulation and role of diverse signaling networks in cancer metabolism
- Determine how host metabolism impacts tumor biology
- Leverage novel imaging techniques to study subcellular signaling events and cancer metabolism
- Develop new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer
About Dr. Daniel E. Frigo
Dr. Daniel Frigo received his B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame and earned his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from Tulane University. He was then awarded a postdoctoral fellowship and appointed to research scientist within the Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. He was appointed to a faculty position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Houston¡¯s Center for Nuclear Receptors & Cell Signaling and the Department of Biology & Biochemistry in 2010. In 2017, he moved his laboratory to MD Anderson where he is currently Professor, Deputy Chair and Scientific Director of Research in Cancer Systems Imaging (primary) and Professor in Genitourinary Medical Oncology (secondary). He remains an Adjunct Professor with the University of Houston.
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Frigo Laboratory funding includes:
HT9425-25-1-0168 (Frigo) March 15, 2025 ¨C March 14, 2028
DoD/PCRP Idea Development Award Annual Direct Costs: $400,000
Leveraging Prostate Cancer¡¯s Unique Lipid Metabolism to Induce Therapeutic Ferroptosis
The goal of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that androgen receptor- and adipose triglyceride lipase-mediated processes coordinate to regulate ferroptotic cell death.
Role: PI
RP240072 (Frigo) March 1, 2024 ¨C February 28, 2027
CPRIT Annual Direct Costs: $332,500
Dissection of CAMKK2's Tumor Cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic Roles in Prostate Cancer
The goal of this proposal is to delineate emerging cancer cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic roles for CAMKK2 in advanced prostate cancer. To do this, we will explore new roles for CAMKK2 in oxidative phosphorylation and the immune system.
Role: PI
R01CA283402 (Aparicio, Frigo, Sharma) September 21, 2023 ¨C August 31, 2028
NIH/NCI Annual Direct Costs: $414,999
Effects of Arginine Depletion Combined with Platinum-Taxane Chemotherapy in Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancers (AVPC)
The goals of this proposal are to 1) determine the safety and efficacy of ADI-PEG20 combined with carboplatin+cabazitaxel chemotherapy (ADI-CC) in men with AVPC in a Phase I/II clinical trial, 2) determine the effects of ADI-CC on arginine metabolism and associated pathways in the AVPC tumor microenvironment, as well as their association with outcomes and 3) determine the effects of ADI-CC on immune cell populations and checkpoint expression in the AVPC tumor microenvironment.
Role: Co-PI
HT9425-23-1-0424 (Frigo) May 15, 2023 ¨C May 14, 2026
DoD/PCRP Idea Development Award Annual Direct Costs: $300,000
Targeting Serine and One-Carbon Metabolism for the Treatment of Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancer
The goals of this proposal are to understand how the loss of RB leads to increased serine and one-carbon metabolism, to understand what it uses this metabolic pathway for and to evaluate whether serine/glycine-deprivation represents a viable treatment option for RB-deficient AVPC.
Role: PI
Quantitative Imaging Analysis Core (QIAC) Pilot Grant (Frigo, Klekers) May 1, 2024 ¨C April 30, 2026
Â鶹ӳ» MD Anderson Cancer Center Direct Costs: $125,000
Evaluation of [18F] FSPG as a biomarker of glutathione-regulated redox homeostasis and sensitivity to ferroptosis inducers in advanced prostate cancer
The goal of this pilot project is to test if [18F] FSPG can be used as a biomarker of glutathione biosynthesis, redox activity and response to therapy in RB1-deficient tumors.
Role: Co-PI
W81XWH-22-1-0686 (Frigo) September 1, 2022 ¨C August 31, 2025
DoD/PCRP Idea Development Award Annual Direct Costs: $250,000
Disrupting Access to Intracellular Lipid Depots to Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer
This proposal aims to evaluate whether intracellular lipolysis represents a viable therapeutic target for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer and understand how lipolysis promotes disease progression.
Role: PI
HT9425-24-1-0052 (Calin) January 1, 2024 ¨C December 31, 2026
DoD/PCRP Idea Development Award Annual Direct Costs: $300,000
The Role of Androgens in Regulating Extracellular Vesicle Secretion and Molecular Cargo Loading by Prostate Cancer Cells
The goal of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that androgen receptor (AR) signaling could modulate extracellular vesicle (EV) secretion and regulate the molecular content of EVs composed of active signaling-mediating molecules, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), mRNAs, and metabolites.
Role: Co-I
W81XWH-22-1-0187/8 (Frigo, Zurita) Septemer 1, 2022 ¨C August 31, 2025
DoD/PCRP Translational Science Award Direct Costs: $654,320
Revisiting Antiangiogenic Therapy to Target Prostate Cancer Metabolism
The goal of this proposal is to evaluate whether co-targeting cancer cell anaplerotic metabolism and angiogenesis can synergize to treat advanced prostate cancer. In addition, we seek to determine whether biomarkers of anaplerotic signaling can predict response to antiangiogenic therapy and therefore, guide patient selection.
Role: Lead/Contact PI