Bharat Bhatt2

Bharat Bhatt2 investigates metabolic crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor stroma, focusing on how stromal cells supply nutrients to support cancer progression. His laboratory has characterized how cancer-associated fibroblasts engage in autophagy to produce metabolic substrates including amino acids and lipids that fuel cancer cells under nutrient-limited conditions. He studies how lipid droplet transfer from stromal cells promotes cancer cell survival and resistance to therapy. His work uncovers metabolic vulnerabilities in the tumor stroma that can be targeted to starve cancer cells.