Locasale has pioneered the use of methods to study metabolism using primarily liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, in particular having developed methods to gain insights into numerous biological processes at once. He has made contributions to understanding the role of serine synthesis and one carbon metabolism in cancers, defining the quantitative, mechanistic principles of the Warburg Effect and altered glucose metabolism in cancer, and the role of metabolism in mediating chromatin status and epigenetics. His recent work which has gained widespread public attention has focused on the effects on dietary methionine restriction and diet in general as a therapeutic approach to extend lifespan and shape tumor response to therapy. His research approaches integrate computational modeling, cell biology, mouse models, and genetic and biochemical experimentation to understand metabolic processes and their contribution to health. Currently, his research is in three interconnected areas: Quantitative biology of metabolism, Dietary interventions and metabolic therapeutics in health and cancer, and The mechanistic basis between the interaction of metabolism and epigenetics.
Awards and recognitions
Locasale is a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award, the Benjamin Trump Award for Excellence in Cancer Research, and the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award, and the JH Quastell Lectureship at McGill University. He serves on the editorial boards for a number of journals including PLoS Biology, Oncotarget, and Cell Stress, and has served in advisory roles for a number of companies. He has also maintained advisory roles at a number of federal, private and international scientific agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and the Israel Science Foundation. He is also widely accomplished in academic mentoring with students and trainees having received the nation's highest honors at the undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctorals levels. Locasale has authored over 150 publications in peer reviewed journals and numerous textbook chapters and patents. In 2019, he was named one of the most influential researchers of the past10 years by Web of Science.
Lawsuit
In January 2020, Locasale filed a federal lawsuit against Duke University, claiming that racial discrimination stalled his career and academic advancement. The lawsuit claimed that his department chair treated him “negatively” by insisting on small talk and eye contact, even after being told that such behaviors are “not within Asian culture.” The lawsuit claims that Duke’s “harassment, bullying, retaliation and intimidation” led to “lost wages, lost benefits, lost leadership opportunities, emotional distress and other compensatory damages.” According to the lawsuit, Locasale had been asked to get a “fitness for duty” evaluation and was then placed on leave earlier in January.
