Abstract #2303

Monitoring Myelination by Transplanted Oligodendrocyte Precursors in Dysmyelinated Mice with MT & DT Imaging

Piotr Walczak^1,2, Jiangyang Zhang¹, Galit Pelled^1,3, Segun Bernard^1,2, Shashikala Galpoththawela^1,2, James T. Campanelli⁴, Jeff W. M. Bulte^1,2

¹Russel H. Morgan Department of Radiology & Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ²Cellular Imaging Section & Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ³F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging , Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁴Q Therapeutics, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Cell-based therapy of neurological disorders such as congenital dysmyelination has shown considerable potential for clinical translation. The implementation of imaging techniques is crucial to expedite progress in this field. Magnetization transfer and diffusion tensor (DT) imaging were used for monitoring of myelination by glial restricted progenitors (hGRP) transplanted into myelin-deficient mice. Serial MRI data showed a significant increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the corpus callosum but no significant changes in the magnetization transfer ratio. Histology confirmed expression of myelin-specific proteins nearby transplanted hGRPs. This indicates that DT imaging is more sensitive tool to interrogate myelinating potential of transplanted hGRPs.