Heavy hydrogen tracks glucose metabolism in vivo

Researchers at Yale University have reported a new imaging modality, known as deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI), in which sugars and other nutrients are labelled with a heavy hydrogen (²H) atom and subsequently administered to track and monitor their uptake and metabolism.

Mapping glucose metabolism is important for monitoring the development and treatment of cancer, as tumours metabolize glucose both at an elevated rate and through a different set of chemical reactions compared with healthy tissue — a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Read more.