Warburg effect

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The Warburg effect is the inhibition of carbon dioxide fixation, and subsequently photosynthesis, by high oxygen concentrations. The effect is named for Otto Warburg. The oxygenase activity of RuBisCO, which initiates the process of photorespiration, largely accounts for the Warburg effect. In humans, the Warburg Effect causes cancer cells to rely preferentially on glycolysis for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production unlike normal healthy cells. Because nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a cofactor required for glycolysis, by blocking the production of NAD the cancerous cell will eventually die apoptotically. This allows for the creation of chemotherapy drugs by targeting specific fast growing, NAD reliant cells.