Center for Clinical Cancer Metabolism

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

This year, major accomplishments in the Facility included the following collaborative efforts: 1) We provided infrastructure, logistics and support for the metabolic imaging of brain cancer patients at the NIH Clinical Center using hyperpolarized 13C-pyruvate multinuclear MRI imaging under protocol NCT03952598. The clinical protocol continues to enroll new and previous patients for this unique experimental imaging modality. The patients are affected with a more rare forms of gliomas, astrocytomas, and oligodendrocytomas, all caused by oncogenic mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase enzyme in the tumor cells. Goals of the trial are to better understand the metabolic alterations that give rise to brain cancer in these patients. Hyperpolarized 13C-pyruvate imaging of these patients' tumors may provide a better modality to characterize disease state and tumor progression, as well as responses to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. 2) We analyzed neuroblastoma metabolism using targeted metabolomics techniques in collaboration with Investigators in the Pediatric Oncology Branch. One project is focused on determining the metabolic alterations induced by a clinically-relevant inhibitor of redox metabolism in cancer that may lead to the opening of a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center. Another project is directed at characterizing different metabolic phenotypes associated with different subtypes of pediatric neuroblastomas. This project employed stable isotope-resolved metabolomics studies using NMR and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry resources in the Core facility. 3) Multinuclear and multi-modality metabolic and anatomical imaging of tumor metabolism during CAR-T adoptive cell therapy was conducted in collaboration with the Radiation Biology Branch, Urologic Oncology Branch, and Pediatric Oncology Branch. 4) The Facility performed multiple isotope-resolved metabolomics of activated and non-activated CAR-T cells derived from healthy individuals who donated blood for research at the NIH Clinical Center. This information is being used to determine improved conditions that will ultimately be relevant for new therapies in patients. 5) We measured metabolites in specimens obtained from a patient enrolled in NCT00026884 with a unique phenotype of metastatic renal oncocytoma. 6) The Facility performed metabolomic characterization of patient-derived glioma models derived from surgical tumor specimens obtained at the NIH Clinical Center under protocol NCT03952598. 7) The facility provided infrastructure, logistics and support for the metabolic imaging of pre-clinical models of human cancers including pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, brain cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, and others. These imaging modalities included dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, hyperpolarized 13C MRI imaging, electron paramagnetic imaging of tumor oxygen concentrations, and others. 8) In collaboration with Radiation Biology Branch Investigators, we evaluated the temporal impact of a common chemotherapeutic agent on renal oxygenation by mapping kidney oxygen concentrations before and after treatment using electron paramagnetic resonance imaging technology that was developed and built at NCI.