Metabolic Characterization of the Cachectic Phenotype

Marie-France Penet¹, Paul T. Winnard Jr.¹, Radharani Marik¹, Sridhar Nimmagadda¹, Martin G. Pomper¹, Zaver M. Bhujwalla¹

Cancer-induced cachexia is an under explored problem. There are no known cures for this condition and its multi-faceted nature makes it difficult to investigate. Multimodality imaging approaches are ideally suited to understand critical pathways in cachexia. MRS studies revealed differences in the choline metabolism of cachectic tumor and positron emission tomography experiments demonstrated a higher glucose uptake in cachectic tumors. We are developing an optical reporter to detect the onset of cachectic signals following tumor inoculation. These studies will provide further insight into the cachectic phenotype, which will be used to define new targets and improve treatment efficacy.