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In Vivo Imaging of MSCs

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Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

Clinical applications of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) to treat a myriad of diseases are currently being initiated. For MSC therapy to become common practice, basic questions about the fate of MSCs once administered need to be addressed. These include the biodistribution, survival, and differentiation of MSCs. In this chapter, several imaging techniques are described that can be used to interrogate these questions in a clinically applicable manner, and several examples are discussed. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/radioisotope imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cell-tracking techniques are the two modalities that likely will become mainstays in clinical practice.

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Abbreviations

BLI:

Bioluminescent imaging

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

FHBG:

9-(4-[18F] Fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl) guanine

FIAU:

1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-1-d-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodouracil

GFP:

Green fluorescent protein

HSV-tk:

Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase

MI:

Myocardial infarct

MSC:

Mesenchymal stem cell

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

PET:

Positron emission tomography

SPECT:

Single-photon emission computed tomography

SPIO:

Superparamagnetic iron oxide

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Acknowledgment

The author is supported by grant MSCRFII-0161-00.

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Correspondence to Jeff W. M. Bulte Ph.D. .

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Bulte, J.W.M. (2013). In Vivo Imaging of MSCs. In: Hematti, P., Keating, A. (eds) Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5711-4_21

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