Marc-Andre Fortin1, Luc Faucher1, Andre-Anne Guay-Bgin2, Eric Petitclerc3, Yves Gossuin4, Annelie Lindstrm5
1Materials Engineering, Laval University and Centre hospitalier universitaire de Quebec (CHUQ), Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; 2Materials Engineering, Laval University and Centre hospitalier universitaire de Quebec (CHUQ), Quebec City, Quebec , Canada; 3Centre hospitalier universitaire de Qubec (CHUQ), Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; 4University of Mons-Hainaut, Belgium; 5Linkping University, Sweden
Ultra-small gadolinium oxide nanoparticles (US-Gd2O3) have recently emerged as a promising alternative to iron oxide nanoparticles for cell staining. Used with common T1-weighted imaging procedures, they provide positive contrast and high signal. In this work we present the first cell marking and visualisation study performed in-vivo with this new type of contrast agent. Glioma cancer cells were incubated with US-Gd2O3 and then implanted at the surface of chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Clusters of marked cells implanted in this vascularized model system, were clearly visible days after the implantation. T1-weighted images are free of T2/T2* image artefacts characteristic of iron oxide staining.