A popular amino acid found in energy drinks and our own bodies may be feeding one of the deadliest cancers—leukemia—according to new research that reveals an unexpected biological twist.
Key Points at a Glance
- New study links taurine to accelerated leukemia growth in preclinical models.
- Leukemia cells depend on external taurine, absorbed via a specific transporter.
- Blocking taurine uptake halts cancer cell growth in mice and human samples.
- High-dose taurine supplements may pose risks for leukemia patients.
- Discovery paves the way for new leukemia treatment strategies targeting metabolism.
Inside the hidden ecosystem of our bone marrow, where blood cells are born and diseases like leukemia emerge, scientists have made a surprising discovery: a naturally occurring amino acid, long considered benign and even beneficial, plays a sinister role in cancer growth. Taurine, best known as a staple of energy drinks and nutritional supplements, has been caught red-handed fueling leukemia.
This revelation, published in Nature and led by the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, could change how clinicians think about metabolism and supplementation in blood cancer patients. Taurine, it turns out, is not synthesized by leukemia cells themselves. Instead, these malignant cells are cunning thieves—extracting the amino acid from the bone marrow’s healthy environment using a specialized transporter encoded by the SLC6A6 gene.
“We’ve known for a long time that leukemia hijacks the bone marrow’s biology,” said lead author Dr. Jeevisha Bajaj, assistant professor of Biomedical Genetics. “But now we see that it’s not just about genetics. Leukemia exploits metabolic resources too, and taurine is a critical one.”
The findings came about as researchers mapped out the microenvironment of the bone marrow, a complex ecosystem that has gained scientific attention for its role in cancer initiation and progression. Within this niche, taurine is normally produced by healthy support cells. In leukemia, however, this balance turns toxic.
When cancer cells absorb taurine, it ignites a metabolic process called glycolysis—the rapid breakdown of glucose that provides the energy leukemia needs to thrive. This metabolic acceleration may help explain why myeloid cancers like acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are so aggressive.
By using genetic techniques to block the taurine transporter, researchers successfully halted cancer growth in both mouse models and human leukemia samples. It’s an exciting therapeutic target: shutting the door on taurine could starve leukemia cells of the fuel they crave, without harming normal cells that don’t depend on the same transporter for survival.
“This work opens an entirely new avenue in treating blood cancers,” Bajaj said. “Rather than focusing solely on genetic mutations, we’re looking at how the environment and metabolism of the bone marrow are complicit in supporting cancer.”
But the implications go beyond the lab. Taurine is widely available in food—meats, fish, eggs—and as a supplement, often marketed for muscle recovery or mental focus. It’s also a common ingredient in energy drinks. In some cases, cancer patients have even taken taurine to ease chemotherapy side effects.
That might now warrant a second look.
Dr. Jane Liesveld, a Wilmot oncologist and co-author of the study, emphasized caution. “Local levels of taurine in bone marrow may enhance leukemia growth,” she noted. “We still have much to learn, but our findings suggest high-dose taurine supplements could be risky for leukemia patients.”
Indeed, this is not the first time taurine has shown a dual nature. Previous research, such as a study published in Cell on gastric cancer, hinted at taurine’s potential immune-boosting effects. But as Bajaj warns, context is everything. What helps in one biological setting may harm in another.
For leukemia, the story of taurine appears to be one of exploitation. And scientists are only beginning to untangle the metabolic web. Future studies aim to identify exactly how taurine levels shift during the evolution of MDS into full-blown leukemia and to develop stable, effective methods for blocking taurine uptake altogether.
The study was a collaborative effort involving the Bajaj lab, genomics experts, and funding from several major health institutions, including the National Institutes of Health and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
As researchers continue to explore how cancer rewires its environment and energy systems, this work highlights the urgent need to rethink what we consume—and what cancer consumes—in the fight against one of the most lethal blood diseases.
