Stable Isotope Assays for Cell Proliferation
(DNA Enrichment)

Understanding Cell Proliferation Through DNA Labeling

Cell proliferation reflects the rate at which new cells are produced and is a critical endpoint for understanding growth, regeneration, and disease progression. Labeling subjects with D₂O incorporates deuterium into the deoxyribose backbone of newly synthesized DNA, enabling sensitive, quantitative measurement of cell proliferation through analysis of mass isotopomer abundances.

This approach has been shown to translate effectively to human studies, including work from Voogt, Awada et al. (2007) demonstrating that deoxyribose isotopomer analysis can be used to monitor proliferation following D₂O administration.

DNA-based proliferation measurements have also provided clinically informative insight in proliferative disorders. For example, Murphy E. et al. (American Society of Hematology, 2014) reported that tumor cell proliferation rates in early-stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can reveal clinical progression patterns over multi-year periods.