IN VIVO IMAGING FOR DETECTION OF TRANSPLANTED STEM/PROGENITOR CELLS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. A crucial gap for effective in vivo imaging technologies in stem cell research is the need to improve detection sensitivity and to ensure that images can accurately quantify the number of cells at any given anatomical location. Nuclear medicine techniques, especially positron emission tomography (PET) have much higher sensitivity than MRI, and unlike optical imaging, which has similar sensitivity, can provide 3D quantitative images. Outcomes using PET imaging can also be translated from animal models to humans. The overall goal is to develop sensitive in vivo imaging methods to monitor and track transplanted human stem and progenitor cells and overcome current barriers that advance the use of these unique cell populations for regenerative medicine purposes.