NIMG-41. PH-WEIGHTED MOLECULAR MRI AS AN EARLY BIOMARKER OF METABOLIC RESPONSE TO IDH INHIBITION IN IDH MUTANT GLIOMAS

The current study tested the hypotheses that (1) pH-weighted MRI measurements of tumor acidity reflect glycolytic activity in human gliomas, (2) that tumor acidity, and thus glycolytic activity, differs between human IDH mutant (mIDH) and wild type gliomas, and (3) that an increase in tumor acidity, suggestive of increased glycolytic activity, occurs after inhibition of mutant IDH enzyme activity and reduction in 2HG, an oncometabolite. To test these hypotheses, we employed a custom pH-weighted amine chemical exchange saturation transfer echoplanar (CEST-EPI) technique in 152 patients with IDH mutant or wildtype glioma prior to surgery and 11 patients before and after treatment with AG120 or AG881 enrolled at our institution in a phase 1 perioperative study in patients with recurrent, non-enhancing, IDH mutant low-grade gliomas (NCT03343197). Results from image-guided biopsies in more than 100 patients demonstrated a significant correlation between MTRasym at 3ppm, a measure of tumor acidity from pH-weighted amine CEST-EPI, and expression of key glycolytic proteins including GLUT3 (R2=0.2188,P=0.0105), HK2 (R2=0.1788,P=0.0314), LDHA (R2=0.1111,P=0.0071), and MCT1 (R2=0.1228,P=0.0039) as well as ex vivo extracellular flux analysis estimates of ATP consumption from glycolysis (R2=0.6684,P=0.0021). Data suggests a significantly lower acidity (MTRasym@3ppm) within non-enhancing tumor in IDH mutant gliomas when compared to IDH wild type gliomas (P< 0.0001). Patients in a phase 1 perioperative study showed a shift toward higher tumor acidity (i.e. higher glycolytic activity) following inhibition of IDH based on 2HG suppression in resected tumors, but at levels below that of IDH wild type gliomas. Levels of 2HG within the tumor after IDH inhibition were inversely correlated with post-treatment tumor acidity (R2=0.6342, P=0.0180). Overall, results suggest mIDH gliomas have low levels of glycolytic activity, and successful inhibition of the mutant IDH enzyme results in reduction in 2HG and a measurable metabolic shift toward elevated glycolysis as evidenced using pH-weighted molecular MRI.

NIMG-44. PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF PH- AND OXYGEN-SENSITIVE MRI IN GLIOMA PATIENTS

Hypoxia and tissue acidosis are two key features of the glioma microenvironment, both associated with a more aggressive phenotype through promotion of invasion, angiogenesis, and resistance to a vast number of therapies. In the current study, we demonstrate that higher levels of acidity and hypoxia in glioma are associated with worse prognosis by using simultaneous pH- and oxygen-sensitive amine chemical exchange saturation transfer spin-and-gradient echo echo-planar imaging (CEST-SAGE-EPI). A total of 159 histologically confirmed adult glioma patients (WHO grade II: N = 42; grade III: N = 38; grade IV, N = 79) were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were scanned with a custom amine CEST-SAGE-EPI MRI pulse sequence at 3T. Magnetization transfer ratio asymmetry (MTRasym) at 3ppm was used as a measure of relative acidity, R2’ was used as a surrogate of hypoxia, and their product MTRasym×R2' was used to quantify the degree of both acidity and hypoxia. Cox regression was performed to evaluate prognostic factors for OS and PFS. Univariate results suggested higher hypoxia, R2' (HR = 1.44, p = 0.0002), and higher combined measure of acidity and hypoxia, MTRasym×R2' (HR = 1.14, p = 0.0008), were associated with a shorter OS. When considering age, treatment status, and IDH mutation status as covariates, R2' and MTRasym×R2' remained significantly associated with patient OS (R2': HR = 1.27, p = 0.045; MTRasym×R2': HR = 1.17, p = 0.002). Within the treatment naïve patients, tumor acidity MTRasym, was also associated with OS (HR = 3.72, p = 0.003). R2' and MTRasym×R2' were significantly associated with PFS, both using univariate (R2': p < 0.0001; MTRasym×R2': p < 0.0001) and multivariate analyses including clinical factors (R2': p = 0.010; MTRasym×R2': p < 0.0001). In summary, tumor acidity and hypoxia measured using pH- and oxygen-sensitive metabolic MRI are significant prognostic factors in glioma.

Tumor-Acidity Responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Targeting Delivery of Angiogenesis Inhibitor for Enhanced Antitumor Efficacy With Decreased Toxicity

Various nanocarriers with tumor targeting ability and improved pharmacokinetic property have been extensively utilized to reduce the toxicity of existing clinical chemotherapeutics. Herein, we showed that by encapsulating angiogenesis inhibitor anlotinib into polymeric nanoparticles, we could significantly decrease its in vivo toxicity. The introduction of pH-responsiveness into the nanocarrier further enhanced its anti-tumor activity. Systemic administration of the anlotinib-loaded nanocarrier into mice bearing A549 and 4T1 subcutaneous tumor received a higher tumor growth suppression and metastasis inhibition without detectable side effects. This strategy offers a promising option to improve the patient compliance of anlotinib.