TITLE:
Tracking of Labelled Stem Cells Using Molecular MR Imaging in a Mouse Burn Model in Vivo as an Approach to Regenerative Medicine
AUTHORS:
Zeba Qadri, Valeria Righi, Shasha Li, A. Aria Tzika
KEYWORDS:
Burn Wounds, Cell Labeling, Cell Tracking, Cellular Imaging, Magnetic Resonance, Imaging (MRI), Molecular Imaging, Positive Contrast Imaging, Stem Cells
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Molecular Imaging,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: Therapies based on stem cell transplants offer significant potential in
the field of regenerative medicine. Monitoring the fate of the transplanted
stem cells in a timely manner is considered one of the main limitations for
long-standing success of stem cell transplants. Imaging methods that visualize
and track stem cells in vivo non-invasively in real time are helpful towards the development of successful
cell transplantation techniques. Novel molecular imaging methods which are
non-invasive particularly such as MRI have been of great recent interest.
Hence, mouse models which are of clinical relevance have been studied by
injecting contrast agents used for labelling cells such as super-paramagnetic
iron-oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles for cellular imaging. The MR techniques which
can be used to generate positive contrast images have been of much relevance
recently for tracking of the labelled cells. Particularly when the
off-resonance region in the vicinity of the labeled cells is selectively
excited while suppressing the signals from the non-labeled regions by the
method of spectral dephasing. Thus, tracking of magnetically labelled cells
employing positive contrast in vivo MR imaging methods in a burn mouse model in a non-invasive way has been the
scope of this study. The consequences have direct implications for monitoring
labeled stem cells at some stage in wound healing. We suggest that our approach
can be used in clinical trials in molecular and regenerative medicine.