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Metabolomics of Cancer

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Tumor Biomarker Discovery

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 520))

Summary

Metabolomics, one of the “omic” sciences in systems biology, is the global assessment and validation of endogenous small-molecule biochemicals (metabolites) within a biologic system. Initially, putative quantitative metabolic biomarkers for cancer detection and/or assessment of efficacy of anticancer treatment are usually discovered in a preclinical setting (using animal and human cell cultures), followed by translational validation of these biomarkers in biofluid or tumor tissue. Based on the tumor origin, various biofluids, such as blood, urine, and expressed prostatic secretions, can be used for validating metabolic biomarkers noninvasively in cancer patients. Metabolite detection and quantification is usually carried out by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, while mass spectrometry (MS) provides another highly sensitive metabolomics technology. Usually, sophisticated statistical analyses are carried out either on spectroscopic or on quantitative metabolic data sets to provide meaningful information about the metabolic makeup of the sample. Various metabolic biomarkers, related to glycolysis, mitochondrial citric cycle acid, choline and fatty acid metabolism, were recently reported to play important roles in cancer development and responsiveness to anticancer treatment using NMR-based metabolic profiling.

Carefully designed and validated protocols for sample handling and sample extraction followed by appropriate NMR techniques and statistical analyses, which are required to establish quantitative 1H-NMR-based metabolomics as a reliable analytical tool in the area of cancer biomarker discovery, are discussed in the present chapter.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Jaimi L. Brown, B.S., for her continuous help in developing and validating sample preparation protocols, as well as Dr. Eduard J. Gamito for his help with statistical methods. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants R21 CA112216 (KG), P50 CA103175 (JHU ICMIC Program, KG), R21 CA108624 (NJS) and P30 CA046934 (NJS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology and Radiology, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO, USA

    Natalie J. Serkova & Kristine Glunde

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  1. Natalie J. Serkova
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  2. Kristine Glunde
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Correspondence to Kristine Glunde .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine , Wayne State University, E. Warren Ave. 110, Detroit, 48201, U.S.A.

    Michael A. Tainsky

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© 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Serkova, N.J., Glunde, K. (2009). Metabolomics of Cancer. In: Tainsky, M. (eds) Tumor Biomarker Discovery. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 520. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-811-9_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-811-9_20

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-810-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-811-9

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