# Hyperpolarized Micro-NMR for Quantitative Analysis of Metabolism in Leukemia Stem Cells

> **NIH NIH R00** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $249,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The overarching goal of this project is to acquire the skills necessary to launch a competitive,
independent research career in the field of biomedical engineering, with an explicit specialization in
cancer metabolism research. Aberrant metabolic features in cancer cells, now recognized as one of the
hallmarks of cancer, can be novel diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Unfortunately,
understanding of cancer metabolism remains limited, which is primarily due to the lack of tools. My long-
term career goal is to lead a competitive research group, with primary research interests in developing
novel technologies that allow sensitive and high-throughput analysis of cancer metabolism. I have
extensive experience in developing sensitive analytical platforms with a background in electrical
engineering. In addition to my engineering expertise, the mentorship from internationally recognized
experts in cancer biology during the K99 training period will be instrumental towards my career
objectives. In the current research, I plan to develop a novel magnetic sensing technology for
comprehensive analysis of metabolism in leukemia stem cells (LSCs), as well as to acquire a deeper
understanding of cancer biology. The Research Plan is built upon the development of the hyperpolarized
micro nuclear magnetic resonance (HP micro-NMR) technology that enables quantitative analysis of
metabolic flux in a small number of cells (down to 104 cells) within two minutes, while maintaining more
than 90% of cell viability. The novel platform I developed, importantly, allowed downstream molecular
analyses in the same sample in tandem, which may be truly beneficial for investigating mass-limited
samples. Here, I will advance this system further to achieve a higher sensitivity and enhanced analytical
throughput for comprehensive analysis of LSC metabolism (Aim 1), and I will develop HP metabolic
markers to identify the dependence of LSCs on a metabolic enzyme, PHGDH, which has emerged as a
promising therapeutic target for other cancers (Aim 2). The focus of the current research is centered on
the critical clinical need for relevant leukemia stem cells models, but with imperative funding from the NIH
Pathway to Independence Award - Parent K99/R00, the proposed platform would extend much further
and have wide applicability on other clinically relevant cancer models, such as patient biopsies or tumor
organoids.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10359185
- **Project number:** 5R00CA226357-04
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Sangmoo Jeong
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10359185

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10359185, Hyperpolarized Micro-NMR for Quantitative Analysis of Metabolism in Leukemia Stem Cells (5R00CA226357-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10359185. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*