Abstract #1717

Repetitive Imaging of Tumor Cell Growth using Gene-Based, Iron Contrast: Maga Vs. Modified Ferritin Subunits

Roja Rohani¹, Rene Figueredo², Jim Koropatnick², Paula Foster³, R. Terry Thompson¹, Frank S. Prato¹, Donna Elizabeth Goldhawk¹

¹Imaging, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; ²London Regional Cancer Program, London, ON, Canada; ³Imaging, Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, Canada

We followed the appearance of endogenous contrast in iron-supplemented, tumor cells injected into immune-compromised mice. Repetitive MRI on anesthetized animals, from several days post-injection up to 5 weeks, compared MagA-expressing cell growth to that of modified ferritin subunits, lacking iron response elements, and parental controls. Nascent tumors were detected days after injection on a 3T scanner using a custom RF coil and gradient insert. This study documents the activity of an undifferentiated cancer cell line using noninvasive, live animal imaging to improve our understanding of cancer stem cell biology, cell transplantation, and the potential of reporter gene expression for MRI.