Translating energy balance research from the bench to the clinic to the community: Parallel animal‐human studies in cancer

Abstract

Advances in energy balance and cancer research to date have largely occurred in siloed work in rodents or patients. However, substantial benefit can be derived from parallel studies in which animal models inform the design of clinical and population studies or in which clinical observations become the basis for animal studies. The conference Translating Energy Balance from Bench to Communities: Application of Parallel Animal‐Human Studies in Cancer, held in July 2021, convened investigators from basic, translational/clinical, and population science research to share knowledge, examples of successful parallel studies, and strong research to move the field of energy balance and cancer toward practice changes. This review summarizes key topics discussed to advance research on the role of energy balance, including physical activity, body composition, and dietary intake, on cancer development, cancer outcomes, and healthy survivorship.

Suppressive effects of exercise-conditioned serum on cancer cells: A narrative review of the influence of exercise mode, volume, and intensity

“… 81 To deepen our knowledge of cancer suppressive mechanisms induced by exercise, it is necessary to design exercise trials with experimental models that include appropriate properties of cancer cell lines, co-culture systems, and parallel studies involving animal models and humans. 82 For instance, cancer cells in a co-culture system with cells known to promote cancer growth (e.g., adipocytes and immune cells) exposed to exercise-conditioned serum would provide biological insight about the impact of exercise on the interaction between cancer cells and cells around the tumor sites. Additionally, animal models could be employed to establish the in vivo causation of exercise-induced candidate factors, followed by validation in humans.…”

“… 83 Further, although it may be difficult to connect exercise mode, volume, and intensity in animal models and clinical trials, well-designed parallel animal and human studies will provide greater understanding of physical, physiological, and biological effects of exercise on specific cancer groups by validating preclinical outcomes in humans and vice versa . 82 In regard to training modes and chronic adaptations, most studies adopted a mixed mode approach incorporating both RT and AT. 43 , 45 , 46 This is likely due to the combination of training modes resulting in greater benefits over a wider range of outcomes for those with and without cancer (e.g., fat mass, lean mass, muscle strength, cardiorespiratory capacity, etc .).…”

“… 83 Further, although it may be difficult to connect exercise mode, volume, and intensity in animal models and clinical trials, well-designed parallel animal and human studies will provide greater understanding of physical, physiological, and biological effects of exercise on specific cancer groups by validating preclinical outcomes in humans and vice versa . 82 …”

The Influence of Obesity on Outcomes with Immune Checkpoint Blockade: Clinical Evidence and Potential Biological Mechanisms

“…A significant challenge with modeling the impact of obesity on ICB outcomes is the translatability of obesity in model organisms to humans [50]. In mice, the obese phenotype is generated either by feeding standard mice a very high fat diet (i.e., diet-induced obesity) or utilizing mice with genetic mutations that lead to obesity (e.g., leptin or its receptor) [51].…”

The emerging role of exercise as a cancer treatment

“…The main message of the conference was that substantial benefit may be derived from parallel studies in which animal models inform clinical and population studies and vice versa . The conference and subsequent publication 10 highlighted the challenges and opportunities of conducting parallel energy balance studies in cancer and called for a better integration between animal and human research to maximize clinical advances.…”