Rachel Erin Smith1, Anders Persson2, Ken Smith3, Tracy Richmond McKnight3
1Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; 2Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, Ca, United States; 3Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, Ca, United States
The purpose of our study is to evaluate differences in metabolism between gliomas with functional and non-functional p53 protein. P 53 is commonly mutated in gliomas, and its mutation has been correlated with increased response to therapy. We used high-resolution magic angle spinning spectroscopy to compare the metabolism of p53 functional and non-functional glioma. We found significant differences in glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine, and glutamate between the two populations. We also found that inhibition of the p53 protein slowed the growth rate and did not induce apoptosis. We continue our studies to relate these findings to the increased therapeutic response.