Eric Bhatt

Eric Bhatt studies the role of iron metabolism and iron homeostasis in cancer ferroptosis sensitivity, as ferroptosis is fundamentally an iron-dependent cell death process. His research characterized how cancer cells with elevated labile iron pools due to ferritin autophagy, transferrin receptor upregulation, and altered iron storage are primed for ferroptosis. He demonstrated that iron supplementation can sensitize cancer cells to GPX4 inhibitors and other ferroptosis inducers. His work on iron regulation in cancer also revealed how iron chelation can provide ferroptosis resistance, informing combination therapeutic strategies.