In vivo imaging of MSCs

Abstract

Clinical applications of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) to treat a myriad of diseases are currently being initiated. For MSC therapy to become common practice, basic questions about the fate of MSCs once administered need to be addressed. These include the biodistribution, survival, and differentiation of MSCs. In this chapter, several imaging techniques are described that can be used to interrogate these questions in a clinically applicable manner, and several examples are discussed. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/radioisotope imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cell-tracking techniques are the two modalities that likely will become mainstays in clinical practice.