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Abstract #0670

In Vivo MRI Signal Features of Transgenic Grafts Overexpressing Ferritin in the Murine Myocardial Infarction Model

Anna Naumova1,2, Vasily Yarnykh1,2, Hans Reinecke2,3, Charles Murry2,3, Chun Yuan1,2

1Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 2Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 3Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA


This study showed possibility of non-invasive visualization and quantification of transgenic C2C12 grafts overexpressing MRI gene reporter ferritin in the infarcted mouse heart. T2*-weighted gradient echo sequence was most sensitive for imaging of ferritin-tagged grafts capturing about 30% change in MRI signal intensity. Unlabeled wild-type C2C12 cells transplanted to the mouse heart did not change MRI signal intensity in T2*-weighted images. The important advantage of this approach is that the gene reporter divides with each round of cell division retaining a desired MRI contrast over the entire volume of growing grafts.

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