# Hyperpolarized 13C Probes for Imaging Warburg Metabolism in Cancer

> **NIH NIH SC1** · CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTON · 2020 · $319,500

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract.
Although medical imaging has become an essential component in cancer diagnosis, many
traditional technologies remain inadequate at early stages of disease onset or with localized
tumors. The objective of this work is the development of hyperpolarized 13C imaging agents that
effectively provide insight into the metabolic profile of tumors and thereby provide a novel
clinical tool to identify malignant tissues. These chemical probes will target a hallmark of cancer
metabolism known as the Warburg effect, where an increase in glycolytic activity and a
decrease in oxidative phosphorylation via the tricarboxylic acid cycle are observed. Novel
libraries of 13C-labeled molecular probes will be prepared in order to optimize their physical and
chemical properties for clinical investigations. These agents will be employed in hyperpolarized
13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies using both in vitro and in vivo cancer models to
identify ideal candidates for cancer imaging. These hyperpolarized 13C probes will therefore
provide novel methods for cancer diagnosis and offer new opportunities for monitoring
distinctive aspects of tumor metabolism, which is of broad importance to a range of scientific
and biomedical communities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9961618
- **Project number:** 5SC1GM127213-03
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kelvin L Billingsley
- **Activity code:** SC1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $319,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9961618

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9961618, Hyperpolarized 13C Probes for Imaging Warburg Metabolism in Cancer (5SC1GM127213-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9961618. Licensed CC0.

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