Meeting Banner
Abstract #4193

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Stem Cells Labeled with Micrometer-Sized Iron Oxide Particles: Applications to Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering

Karl Saldanha1,2, Kimberly Loo1, Sharmila Majumdar1,2

1Department of Radiology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States; 2Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering, UC Berkeley/UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States


To aid in the development and implementation of clinically viable stem cell-based tissue engineering therapies, a technique is needed to monitor implanted cells throughout the course of treatment. Labeling of stem cells with an iron oxide contrast agent prior to implantation has the potential to allow for longitudinal non-invasive in vivo assessment of the bio-distribution of transplanted cells via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aims to investigate labeling of stem cells with micrometer-sized iron oxide particles to enable MRI detection, and its applications in longitudinal monitoring of stem cell-based musculoskeletal tissue engineering.