Therapeutic target metabolism observed using hyperpolarized 15N choline

Choline is a precursor of cellular phospholipid metabolism that provides Magnetic Resonance (MR) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) biomarkers for cancer detection and response assessment. Employing Dynamic Nuclear Polarization we show that the MR signal of N-15 in choline can be enhanced by at least 4 orders of magnitude with a relaxation time of ca. 4 min, providing a method to observe the action of choline kinase, an important target for novel cancer therapeutics.