Deuterium Metabolic Imaging of Glioma at 7T
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating metabolic heterogeneity in glioma using deuterium metabolic imaging
IRAS ID
294077
Contact name
Richard Mair
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation trust & the University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Genomic analysis has shown that tumours typically comprise multiple subtypes with differing prognoses and drug sensitivities. The challenge is to match the drug to the tumour; targeting the drug at those processes driving cell growth and proliferation in the specific subtype. The subtypes can be identified by DNA sequencing of tumour biopsies, although this can be confounded by sampling bias due to tumour heterogeneity. A solution is to analyse circulating tumour DNA (“liquid biopsy”) however this may not fully capture the genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity of multiple tumour deposits and cannot capture the microenvironmental heterogeneity, all of which contribute to the development of therapy resistance. Imaging has the potential to capture all of these facets of tumour heterogeneity. We will conduct studies in glioma patients using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of deuterated (2H) glucose metabolism with subsequent intraoperative sampling of patient tumours (at a different timepoint). These experiments are possible in glioma patients as we have previously shown that tumours can be excised and frozen fast enough to rapidly arrest their metabolism. These studies will give us unprecedented insights into glioma metabolism in vivo, which will provide a mechanistic basis for identified metabolic signatures that characterise specific subtypes as well as guiding the development of new labelled substrates for probing these signatures. These signatures could be used clinically to indicate prognosis and in the selection of the most appropriate treatment regimen. Changes in the imaging signatures post-treatment could be used to detect early evidence of treatment response and thus to guide treatment in individual patients in an image – treat – image – treat paradigm.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/0828
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jul 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion