Cellular MRI and its role in stem cell therapy

Ali S. Arbab, Joseph A. Frank

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hematopoietic, stromal and organ-specific stem cells are under evaluation for therapeutic efficacy in cell-based therapies of cardiac, neurological and other disorders. It is critically important to track the location of directly transplanted or infused cells that can serve as gene carrier/delivery vehicles for the treatment of disease processes and be able to noninvasively monitor the temporal and spatial homing of these cells to target tissues. Moreover, it is also necessary to determine their engraftment efficiency and functional capability following transplantation. There are various in vivo imaging modalities used to track the moverhent and incorporation of administered cells. Tagging stem cells with different contrast agents can make these cells probes for different imaging modalities. Recent reports have shown that stem cells labeled with iron oxides can be used as cellular MRI probes demonstrating the cell trafficking to target tissues. In this review, we will discuss the status and future prospect of stem cell tracking by cellular MRI for cell-based therapy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)199-215
Number of pages17
JournalRegenerative Medicine
Volume3
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cellular MRI
  • Ferumoxides-protamine sulfate
  • Magnetic cell labeling
  • SPIO
  • Stem cell tracking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Embryology

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