Imaging is essential for probing cancer biology and tumor surveillance in humans. Combining isotopically labeled substrates with advanced imaging approaches yields a new platform, metabolic imaging. Although cancer metabolism research began ~100 years ago, breakthroughs in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) like hyperpolarization, deuterium metabolic imaging, and novel probes have revolutionized our ability to appreciate deregulated glycolysis in cancer. Here, we discuss the state and future of glycolytic imaging with MRI.
Chang et al. (2026) studied this question.