Abstract #1852

Mammalian Expression of a CEST Reporter Gene Based on Human Protamine-1

Amnon Bar-Shir¹, Guanshu Liu², Kannie W.Y. Chan², Michael T. McMahon², Peter C.M. van Zijl², Jeff W.M. Bulte¹,³, Assaf A. Gilad¹,⁴

¹Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; ²Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; ³Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,, Baltimore, MD, United States; ⁴Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States

We have developed a novel CEST-MRI reporter gene based on human protamine-1, and demonstrated its expression and detection in mammalian cells, as well as in a three-dimensional cell culture model of immune-isolated cells. Due to its biocompatibility, this humanized reporter gene is expected to have higher cellular tolerance with minimal immune response.