Fatty acids have been identified as an important fuel source for prostate tumours in research that could point the way to new treatments, an Australian-led study has found.

The international research, initiated by experts at Monash University and the University of Melbourne, has found that fatty acids increase tumour growth in prostate cancer cells.

And by blocking the uptake of fatty acids by genetically deleting the key fatty acid transporter, researchers have shown they can slow the cancer’s development.

The team, co-led by Associate Professor Renea Taylor, from Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute, used human tissue as well as mice models to investigate the role of lipid metabolism in prostate cancer.