Eileen White

Eileen White is a pioneer in understanding the dual role of autophagy in cancer, demonstrating that autophagy can both suppress tumor initiation by maintaining genomic stability and promote established tumor survival through metabolic stress adaptation and nutrient recycling. Her laboratory established that Ras-driven cancers are particularly dependent on autophagy for mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. She has made foundational contributions to understanding how autophagy maintains amino acid pools and lipid homeostasis in tumors. Her work has been instrumental in guiding clinical strategies for autophagy inhibition in cancer therapy.