In Vivo Cell Tracking with PET



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There remains a critical need for improved methods for in vivo cell tracking of stem cells delivered to infarcted myocardium as a means of regenerative therapy. In this application we propose to develop and compare two different PET-based cell tracking approaches. The first uses direct labeling of cardiopoietic mesenchymal stem cells (CMSCs) with positron-emitter 89Zr that has a 3.3 d half-life that is well-matched for in vivo monitoring of labeled cell dispositions by PET over periods of 2-3 weeks. We have developed a novel 2-step procedure for labeling cell-based products that includes preparation of a novel 89Zr-labeling intermediate that covalently binds to residues of cell-surface proteins with negligible cellular efflux post- labeling. The second approach entails transfection of the CMSCs with the human sodium/iodide symporter (hNIS) gene, and in vivo tracking of the cells by PET imaging in conjunction with the iodide analog PET probe, 18F-tetrafluoroborate. In this proposal, we will investigate the sensitivity and quantitative accuracy characteristics of both PET-based noninvasive cell tracking approaches in a well-characterized murine myocardial infarction model.