Abstract #1044

MR Imaging and Spectroscopy for Evaluation of Brain Tumor Metabolic Profiles in Primary Glioblastoma Multiforme Xenografts

Yanping Sun¹, Matthew C. Dunn¹, Saadallah Ramadan², Kristen L. Jones¹, Adam Green³, Keith Ligon⁴, Andrew L. Kung¹,⁵

¹Lurie Family Imaging Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; ²School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; ³Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; ⁴Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; ⁵Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States

There is an unmet need for improved therapies for brain tumors. Drug development for brain tumors requires a clinically faithful animal model. We developed an orthotopic primary xenograft tumor model and used bioluminescence imaging to monitor tumor growth and MRI/ MRS to evaluate the tumor metabolic profile. Tumors had significantly higher T1, T2 and diffusion values. MRS showed significant reduction of NAA and GABA, and significant elevation of Cho, Myo, and Glx in tumor compared to normal brain. These features recapitulate the findings in human patients with glioblastoma multiforme, demonstrating the clinical relevance of primary xenografts for modelling human disease.