Larry Matherly

Larry Matherly is Professor of Oncology and Pharmacology at Wayne State University School of Medicine. His research focuses on cancer metabolism reprogramming, particularly one-carbon metabolism pathways and folate transporter biology in tumor development and therapeutic targeting.

Research Focus: The laboratory investigates: 1) Tumor-selective expression of folate transporters (RFC, PCFT) for targeted drug delivery; 2) Mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism enzymes as therapeutic targets; 3) Transcriptional regulation of transport systems in cancer; and 4) Tumor-associated macrophage targeting via folate receptors.

Recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on metabolic targeting (70%) and transporter biology (30%). Key achievements include developing novel pyrrolopyrimidine inhibitors of SHMT2 with broad antitumor efficacy.

Mentoring: Actively advises doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows, with former trainees pursuing careers in academia and pharmaceutical research. Research supported by NIH grants focusing on metabolic dependencies in cancer.

The laboratory maintains capabilities for molecular biology, metabolomics, xenograft modeling, and high-throughput drug screening to support translational cancer research.