Cell Surface Mannose Overexpression as New CEST MRI Biomarker for Glioblastoma Aggressiveness

Motivation: Non-invasive grading of glioblastoma (GBM) aggressiveness is critical for choosing a proper treatment paradigmGoal(s): To develop a label-free MRI technique that can probe the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) in GBM. Approach: To detect high mannose N-linked glycans overexpressed on mesenchymal CSCs with mannose-weighted (MANw) CEST MRI. Results: MANw CEST MRI was able to produce a distinct signal for highly aggressive GBM tumor spheres but not for low aggressive ones, which corresponded to the histoptahological presence or absence of mannose expression. Impact: We present a simple, non-invasive diagnostic approach for assessment of glioblastoma aggressiveness, which can be immediately implemented as an add-on to current MRI protocols.