Kirstie S. Opstad1, B Anthony Bell2, John R. Griffiths3, Franklyn A. Howe2
1Division of Basic Medical Sciences, St. George's, University of London, London, UK; 2Division of Cardiac and Vascular Sciences, St. George's, University of London, London, UK; 3Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
Cancers survive by increased cellular proliferation, decreased cellular turnover and dysregulation of apoptosis. In vivo methods for monitoring early responses to novel apoptosis targeted therapies are required, and one potential modality is 1H MRS. We have investigated whether there is a biochemical correlate to apoptosis in gliomas using HRMAS 1H MRS and histology on the same human biopsy samples. Principal component analysis shows a pattern of metabolites and lipids that correlate with apoptosis in non-necrotic biopsies only. However, analysis of individual metabolites suggests the quantified taurine signal is a biomarker for tumor apoptosis that is independent of tumor necrosis.