PDP1 and cancer: The upregulation of these metabolic enzymes can occur when the flow of metabolites through the enzymatic reaction of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH; Figure 3A) is diminished, and when lactate fermentation is employed as a primary means to generate energy (ATP), a process referred to as the Warburg effect and which has been demonstrated in previous studies to take place in proliferating cancer cells (i.e., occurrence of aerobic glycolysis) [43,44,45].