New Imaging Tool Sheds Light on Tumor Fat Metabolism

Rapidly growing tumors reprogram metabolism to meet high energy demands. While many cancers preferentially consume glucose, lipid utilization by malignant cells is difficult to measure in living subjects. This gap limits clinicians’ ability to characterize tumor biology and select metabolic interventions. Researchers now report an imaging tracer that maps fat-based energy use in disease, offering a new window into tumor metabolism.

The innovation originates from King’s College London in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences. The tracer is a radiolabeled form of carnitine, a molecule that transports fatty acids into mitochondria to supply cellular energy. By tagging carnitine with a radioactive label, the approach visualizes shifts in fat metabolism directly in living organisms. The work was published in Advanced Science.

The tracer characterizes carnitine-dependent fatty acid utilization across physiological and disease contexts. Using the tool, the researchers showed that some highly aggressive cancers rely on lipids as an energy source in addition to glucose. This observation highlights metabolic heterogeneity among tumors and suggests new ways to target lipid pathways. The findings were selected as the journal’s cover article.

The study also reports that carnitine levels are disrupted in various cardiac conditions. According to the authors, detecting these metabolic shifts earlier could support quicker treatment and improve patient outcomes. Beyond disease settings, the tracer may provide insights into energy use in athletes and the potential impact of carnitine supplementation on metabolic performance.

“Using this novel tracer, we can look at carnitine metabolism in living subjects for the very first time. Understanding how the body uses different fuel types, both in health and across a range of diseases, could enable the development of new metabolic drugs and help us optimize healthy living. Being featured on the front cover of Advanced Science reflects the hard and innovative work of Dr. Rich Edwards, Dr. Ella-May Hards, and co-authors,” said Professor Tim Witney, Professor of Molecular Imaging, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences.

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