Changes in PME levels detected by Phosphorus-NMR spectroscopy has been shown to predict cancer response to chemotherapy18, 40 and a number of studies have suggested that the PME component, PCho, the concentration of which has been shown to be associated with proliferation41, 42, may be a marker of response to cell-signalling inhibitors including those targeting the Akt pathway24, 25, 26, 27, 43, 44, 45. Here, AKT1 is linked to cancer.