Deuterated glucose imaging to see how brain tumors use sugar
Official title: Validation of imaging brain tumor metabolism using deuterated glucose
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11307155 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work uses a safe, nonradioactive form of glucose and special MRI scans to show how brain tumors process sugar in people with brain cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $647,807 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB033764-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11307155 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a confirmed or suspected brain tumor who can safely undergo MRI and receive deuterated glucose would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot have MRI (for example due to certain implanted devices or severe claustrophobia) or who cannot receive the tracer would not be able to participate or benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, you would receive a nonradioactive, deuterated form of glucose and have MRI-based metabolic scans called deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI). The scans map glucose and its breakdown products, like lactate and glutamate, throughout the brain in three dimensions. Because normal brain tissue and tumors take up glucose differently, these images aim to highlight tumor metabolism more clearly than standard FDG-PET in many cases. The team at Yale will compare the DMI images to usual imaging to validate whether this approach reliably shows tumor metabolic activity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give patients a nonradioactive way to see tumor metabolism more clearly, aiding diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning.
How similar studies have gone: Early animal studies and preliminary human work with deuterium metabolic imaging show promise, but the approach is still relatively new and needs further validation in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: De Feyter, Henk — Yale University
- Study coordinator: De Feyter, Henk
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.