Pre- and postmortem imaging of transplanted cells

Int J Nanomedicine. 2015 Sep 2:10:5543-59. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S83557. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Therapeutic interventions based on the transplantation of stem and progenitor cells have garnered increasing interest. This interest is fueled by successful preclinical studies for indications in many diseases, including the cardiovascular, central nervous, and musculoskeletal system. Further progress in this field is contingent upon access to techniques that facilitate an unambiguous identification and characterization of grafted cells. Such methods are invaluable for optimization of cell delivery, improvement of cell survival, and assessment of the functional integration of grafted cells. Following is a focused overview of the currently available cell detection and tracking methodologies that covers the entire spectrum from pre- to postmortem cell identification.

Keywords: MRI; SPECT; bioluminescence; cell labeling; stem cells; transplantation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autopsy*
  • Cell Tracking / methods*
  • Genes, Reporter
  • Humans
  • Luminescent Measurements
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Models, Animal
  • Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Stem Cells / chemistry*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed