Market Assessment of a novel magnetic resonance imaging platform for long-term In-vivo cell tracking

这项提议旨在资助对一种新型磁共振成像(MRI)平台的市场评估，该平台用于敏感和长期跟踪体内深处的治疗细胞。干细胞等治疗性细胞被用来修复受损组织并生长新的组织。目前，干细胞被用于治疗白血病或其他血液疾病患者。许多其他组织靶点在全球范围内正在紧张开发中，但尚未进入临床，包括治疗大脑和神经系统、心脏、肝脏、肾脏和骨骼肌的干细胞疗法。虽然每个器官都有自己的一系列具体挑战，其中一些还需要几十年的时间才能让患者受益，但一个共同的障碍是目前我们监控体内细胞的能力存在差距。在临床前动物研究中，如果没有办法深入人体观察移植细胞是否留下来、生长并有助于新的功能，那么要优化成功治疗的成分是极其困难的。最终，在人类干细胞移植患者中，如果我们有办法监控治疗的进展和成功，那将是非常有价值的。程实验室发现了一种新的机制，可以从细胞，甚至是人类干细胞中产生明亮的信号。该平台以核磁共振为基础，提供高灵敏度、长期细胞跟踪、深层组织成像和非侵入性的独特组合。现有的细胞跟踪技术要么提供高灵敏度，要么提供长期跟踪，而不是两者兼而有之，而且可能涉及电离辐射。简而言之，我们的技术可以在移植后的任何时间开启干细胞发出的明亮信号。信号只在仍然活着的细胞中产生。通过这种方式，人们可以确定和定位细胞存活及其在新组织中的整合。该集团已经申请了临时专利，并正在努力争取PCT专利。市场评估是争取更多I2I资金的第一步，这将是将这个细胞跟踪MRI平台发展成为广泛临床前研究的研究工具的关键。

This proposal seeks to fund a market assessment of a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) platform for sensitive and long-term tracking of therapeutic cells deep in the body. Therapeutic cells, such as stem cells, are used to repair damaged tissue and grow new ones. Currently, stem cells are used to treat patients with leukemia or other blood disorders. Many other tissue targets are under intense development worldwide but have not advanced into the clinic, including stem cell therapy to treat the brain and nervous system, heart, liver, kidneys, and skeletal muscle. While each organ has its own set of specific challenges and some are decades away from benefiting patients, a common hurdle is the current gap in our ability to monitor cells in the body. In preclinical animal studies, it is extremely difficult to optimize the ingredients for successful therapy without a way to look deep into the body and see if transplanted cells stay, grow, and contribute to new function. Eventually, in human stem cell transplant patients, it would be extremely valuable if we had a way to monitor the progress and success of therapy.The Cheng Lab has discovered a new mechanism for creating bright signal from cells, even human stem cells. This platform is based on MRI and offers the unique combination of high-sensitivity, long-term cell tracking, deep-tissue imaging, and non-invasiveness. Existing cell tracking technologies offer either high sensitivity or long-term tracking, not both, and may involve ionizing radiation. Briefly, our technology turns on the bright signal from stem cells at any time post-transplantation. Signal is generated only in cells that remain alive. In this way, one can determine and localize cell survival and their integration in new tissue. The group has filed a provisional patent and is working towards a PCT patent. The market assessment is the first step towards securing additional I2I funding that will be key in developing this cell tracking MRI platform into a research tool for a vast expanse of preclinical research.