A method to label non-phagocytic CD8 T cells with a micron-sized iron oxide particle (MPIO) has been developed which enables MRI single cell detection. Adoptive transfer of T cells showed therapeutic effects in mice causing less bleeding after intranasal virus infection. MPIO-labeled CD8 T cells entered the brain and the combination of labeled T cells and blood made sites of microbleeds easily detectable by MRI. The ability to track individual immune cells by MRI should open new possibilities for early detection of inflammation as well as to monitor the rapidly expanding field of immune cell therapies.
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