Recent research has implicated the UPR in the transformation of cells in to cancer cells.  Researchers have identified the SIRT3 axis of UPR as a marker to differentiate between metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer. As many cancers exhibit a metabolic shift from oxidative phosporylation-depentent energy production to aerobic glycolysis dependent energy production, also known as the Warburg effect, researchers suggest that cancer cells rely on the UPR to maintain the mitochondrial integrity. Furthermore, multiple studies have shown that inhibition of UPR, specifically ATF5, selectively kills human and rat cancer cells rather than non-cancer cells.