Abstract #0316

CEST Imaging Reveals Dynamic Changes of Implanted Hydrogel Scaffold In Vivo

Yajie Liang^1,2, Amnon Bar-Shir^1,2, Xiaolei Song^1,2, Assaf A. Gilad^1,2, Jeff W. M. Bulte^1,2, Piotr Walczak^1,2

¹Division of MR Research, Russell H. Morgan Dept. of Radiology , the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; ²Cellular Imaging Section, Institute for Cell Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) MRI was used to monitor hydrogel scaffold that is now widely applied in encapsulation of stem cells for transplantation studies. By correlating bioluminescent imaging and histological results, we demonstrated that changes in CEST signals in vivo over time could allow monitoring molecular gel composition and potentially provide new insights on mechanism underlying cell migration in scaffold after transplantation. Along with the increasing use of biomaterials encapsulating stem cells in regenerative medicine, CEST MRI could be a valuable tool in investigation of dynamic changes in scaffold materials in the context of cell transplantation in vivo.