US researchers have found that taurine, an amino acid often added to energy drinks such as Red Bull and Celsius, can act as a fuel source for leukemia cancer cells, which develop in bone marrow.

A new study has identified taurine, which is made naturally in the body and consumed through some foods, as a key regulator of myeloid cancers such as leukemia. The paper is published in Nature.

Leukemia cells are unable to make taurine themselves, so they rely on a taurine transporter (encoded by the SLC6A6 gene) to grab taurine from the bone marrow environment and deliver it to the ...

Cao T, Zhang W, Wang Q, et al. Cancer SLC6A6-mediated taurine uptake transactivates immune checkpoint genes and induces exhaustion in CD8+ T cells.

The new study looked at mice with a SLC6A6 gene, which transports taurine from different areas of the body. They also took samples of human leukemia cells and transplanted them into the mice.

Researchers at the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute found that taurine, an ingredient in energy drinks like Red Bull and Celsius, could increase the risk of blood cancers ...

The new study investigated mice with the SLC6A6 gene, which is responsible for taurine transportation throughout the body. Researchers also transplanted samples of human leukemia cells into these ...

Leukemia cells depend on taurine uptake from the bone marrow via the SLC6A6 transporter. Blocking taurine entry inhibits leukemia growth in preclinical models, indicating that targeting taurine ...

A study shows that leukemia cells drink up taurine, which is produced in the body and also consumed through foods and in energy drinks, and use it as fuel for growth. This highlights a potential ...