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Abstract #0196

Relaxometry of Bacterially Derived Organelles: A Novel Class of MRI Contrast Agent for Cell Labeling and Tracking

Kimberly Brewer 1 , Rehan Ali 2 , James A Rioux 1 , Sui Seng Tee 1 , Alexey Bazarov 2 , Suleyman Felek 2 , Caleb Bell 2 , and Brian K Rutt 1

1 Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States, 2 Bell Biosystems Inc, Palo Alto, California, United States

Bacterial-derived pseudo-organelles, Magnelles, were recently developed as a novel, magnetite-based MRI contrast agent. Since Magnelles were derived from magnetotactic bacteria, they have the ability to self-replicate, making them interesting candidates for labeling and longitudinal evaluation of cells. This is crucial for applications such as evaluation of stem cell and other cell-based therapies. We characterized the MRI relaxivity properties (both r1 and r2) of Magnelles, their cell loading and ex vivo imaging characteristics using a model breast cancer cell line. Magnelles were found to have similar r2 relaxivity values to conventional SPIO agents and demonstrated strong MR contrast for implanted cells.

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