METABOLOMIC PROFILING OF PROSTATE CANCER

1 . A method of diagnosing cancer, comprising:

a) detecting the presence or absence of one or more cancer specific metabolites selected from the group consisting of sarcosine, cysteine, glutamate, asparagine, glycine, leucine, proline, threonine, histidine, n-acetyl-aspartic acid, inosine, inositol, adenosine, taurine, creatine, uric acid, glutathione, uracil, kynurenine, glycerol-s-phosphate, glycocholic acid, suberic acid, glutamic acid, xanthosine, 4-acetamidobutyric acid, and thymine in a sample from a subject; and

b) diagnosing cancer based on the presence of said cancer specific metabolite.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said cancer is prostate cancer.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said cancer specific metabolite is present in cancerous samples but not non-cancerous samples.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said sample is selected from the group consisting of a tissue sample, a blood sample, a serum sample, and a urine sample.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said tissue sample is a biopsy sample.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said cancer specific metabolite further comprises one or more cancer specific metabolites selected from the group consisting of citrate, malate and N-acetyl tyrosine.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein said one or more cancer specific metabolites are citrate, malate, N-acetyl tyrosine, N-acetyl aspartic acid and sarcosine.

8 . A method of characterizing prostate cancer, comprising:

a) detecting the presence or absence of an elevated level of sarcosine in a sample from a subject diagnosed with cancer; and

b) characterizing said prostate cancer based on the presence of said elevated levels of sarcosine.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the presence of an elevated level of sarcosine in said sample is indicative of invasive prostate cancer in said subject.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said sample is selected from the group consisting of a tissue sample, a blood sample, a serum sample, and a urine sample.

11 . A method of screening compounds, comprising

a) contacting a cell with a test compound; and

b) assaying said test compound for the ability to increase or decrease the level of a cancer specific metabolite selected from the group consisting of sarcosine, cysteine, glutamate, asparagine, glycine, leucine, proline, threonine, histidine, n-acetyl-aspartic acid, inosine, inositol, adenosine, taurine, creatine, uric acid, glutathione, uracil, kynurenine, glycerol-s-phosphate, glycocholic acid, suberic acid, thymine, glutamic acid, xanthosine, 4-acetamidobutyric acid, glycine-N-methyl transferase, and thymine.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said cancer specific metabolite further comprises one or more cancer specific metabolites selected from the group consisting of citrate, malate and N-acetyl tyrosine.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said cell is a cancer cell.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said cell is in vitro.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said cell is in vivo.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said cell is ex vivo.

17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said compound is a small molecule.

18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said compound is a nucleic acid that inhibits the expression of an enzyme involved in the synthesis or breakdown of said cancer specific metabolite.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein said nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of an antisense nucleic acid, a siRNA, and a miRNA.

20 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said cancer cell is a prostate cancer cell.