Cancer‐like metabolism of the mammalian retina

The retina, like many cancers, produces energy from glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen. This phenomenon is known as aerobic glycolysis and eponymously as the W arburg effect. In recent years, the W arburg effect has become an explosive area of study within the cancer research community. The expanding knowledge about the molecular mechanisms underpinning the W arburg effect in cancer promises to provide a greater understanding of mammalian retinal metabolism and has motivated cancer researchers to target the W arburg effect as a novel treatment strategy for cancer. However, if the molecular mechanisms underlying the W arburg effect are shared by the retina and cancer, treatments targeting the W arburg effect may have serious adverse effects on retinal metabolism. Herein, we provide an updated understanding of the W arburg effect in mammalian retina.