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In vivo imaging of T cells loaded with gold nanoparticles: a pilot study

  • Molecular Imaging
  • Published:
La radiologia medica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Malignant tumours develop strategies to avoid immune recognition and elimination by T cells, even in individuals with a fully functioning immune system. To explore the treatment approach of adoptive immunotherapy, we exploited T cells loaded with radiolabelled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to track T cells in vivo.

Materials and methods

Surface-modified AuNPs were radiolabelled with 111In or 64Cu. They were then transferred into T cells via electroporation. To evaluate the effectiveness of this process, T cells loaded with 111In-radiolabelled AuNPs were injected directly into the right lung of nude mice for in vivo imaging by micro-SPECT/CT. T cells loaded with 64Cu-radiolabelled AuNPs were then injected into the tail vein of nude mice and imaged by micro-PET/CT.

Results

High uptake signals were observed in the right lung following the direct injection of T cells containing 111In-labelled AuNPs. Imaging showed a marked difference in the dynamic biodistribution of T cells containing 64Cu-labelled AuNPs when compared with 64Cu-labelled AuNPs alone.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the feasibility of the in vivo imaging of T cells loaded with radiolabelled AuNPs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by NSFC 81271540/H1801 and STCSM 10411953500.

Conflict of interest

Hui Li, Laura Diaz, Daniel Lee, Lei Cui, Xin Liang, Yingsheng Cheng, declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, the Methodist Hospital, Cornell University, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Laura Diaz & Daniel Lee

  2. College of Science, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

    Lei Cui

  3. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Hui Li, Xin Liang & Yingsheng Cheng

Authors
  1. Hui Li
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  2. Laura Diaz
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  3. Daniel Lee
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  4. Lei Cui
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  5. Xin Liang
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  6. Yingsheng Cheng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yingsheng Cheng.

Electronic supplementary material

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11547_2013_335_MOESM1_ESM.tif

TEM images of AuNPs under two different experimental conditions. a) AuNPs without electroporation; b) AuNPs after electroporation (TIFF 180 kb)

11547_2013_335_MOESM2_ESM.tif

DLS data of the AuNPs of two different experimental conditions: a) AuNPs without electroporation; b) AuNPs after electroporation. Blue bar: particle size distribution of the AuNP core; red bar: particle size distribution of AuNPs (TIFF 59 kb)

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Li, H., Diaz, L., Lee, D. et al. In vivo imaging of T cells loaded with gold nanoparticles: a pilot study. Radiol med 119, 269–276 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-013-0335-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-013-0335-2

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