Abstract 2338: Bioluminescent assays for measuringthemetabolic state of cancer and immune cells

Abstract

Abstract In the tumor microenvironment, cancer and immune cells compete for limited nutrients and both must undergo complex metabolic changes to support their function. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of tumor growth, metastasis and adaptation, a comprehensive analysis of metabolic pathways is needed. Success of such studies requires rapid and reliable approaches for monitoring key metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and TCA cycle. Due to its inherent robustness, sensitivity and broad dynamic range, bioluminescence detection provides an attractive opportunity for developing such assays. Here, we implement a panel of bioluminescent metabolite assays (glucose, lactate, glutamine/glutamate, triglyceride/glycerol, cholesterol esters/cholesterol) to investigate the metabolic state of immune and cancer cells. We demonstrate flexibility of the assays in various volumes (96-, 384- well plates), sample types (2D, 3D cultures), automation platforms, and workflows, including detecting multiple metabolites in the same sample and monitoring metabolite changes over time by assaying multiple samples. We validate the performance of the assays by using metabolic pathway-specific inhibitors and demonstrating the utility of the assays as early indicators of cytotoxic T-cell activation. Finally, since metabolism is a dynamic process guided by fuel availability, we show the importance of medium composition when designing studies and suggest guidance for future work. In conclusion, understanding the crosstalk between tumor cells and their microenvironment is required for next-generation drug development. Bioluminescent metabolite assays provide the sensitivity, throughput and robustness required for rapid evaluation of changes in major metabolic pathways and are well suited for novel inhibitor screening and drug development. Citation Format: Maggie Bach, Donna Leippe, Natasha Karassina, Michael Valley, James Cali, Jolanta Vidugiriene. Bioluminescent assays for measuringthemetabolic state of cancer and immune cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2338.