Measuring how brain tumors use nutrients with advanced 13C tracers
Official title: Quantitation of nutrient metabolism in brain tumor patients using advanced 13C isotopomer technology
Funded at Methodist Hospital Research Institute · NIH-11169989 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will give safe 13C-labeled nutrients and use special scans and tissue analysis to see which fuels gliomas and brain metastases burn in people with brain tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Methodist Hospital Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $364,129 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA272763-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169989 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with gliomas or brain metastases, especially those scheduled for tumor biopsy or surgical removal and patients known to have IDH-mutant tumors, are the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without brain tumors, patients not undergoing tissue sampling or imaging at the study site, or those with conditions preventing tracer dosing or MRI are unlikely to participate or benefit directly.
What this research studies
If you join, you may receive small amounts of 13C-labeled nutrients (for example glucose, acetate, or beta-hydroxybutyrate) before imaging or surgery so doctors can trace how your tumor uses those fuels. The team combines specialized magnetic resonance methods with metabolic analysis of removed tumor tissue to map which nutrients feed energy production and building blocks in tumors. They will compare nutrient use across tumor grades and look specifically at tumors with IDH mutations to see if these fuels make the oncometabolite 2-HG. The researchers also plan laboratory tests to explore drugs that could block tumor nutrient use based on what they learn from patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal key fuels brain tumors rely on and point to new treatment targets or ways to personalize therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Small human pilot studies have already shown some brain tumors can oxidize acetate, but using advanced 13C tracers broadly and linking this to IDH-driven 2-HG production is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pichumani, Kumar — Methodist Hospital Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Pichumani, Kumar
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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.