Non-invasive quantification of stem cell-derived islet graft size and composition.

Aims/hypothesis: Stem cell-derived islets (SC-islets) are being used as cell replacement therapy for insulin-dependent diabetes. Non-invasive long-term monitoring methods for SC-islet grafts, which are needed to detect misguided differentiation in vivo and to optimise their therapeutic effectiveness, are lacking. Positron emission tomography (PET) has been used to monitor transplanted primary islets.

In-target production of [C]CH from a nitrogen/hydrogen gas target as a function of beam current, irradiation time, and target temperature.

Background: Production of [C]CH from gas targets is notorious for weak performance with respect to yield, especially when using high beam currents. Post-target conversion of [C]CO to [C]CH is a widely used roundabout method in C-radiochemistry, but the added complexity increase the challenge to control carrier carbon. Thus in-target-produced [C]CH is superior with respect to molar activity.

Glial reactivity in a mouse model of beta-amyloid deposition assessed by PET imaging of P2X7 receptor and TSPO using [C]SMW139 and [F]F-DPA.

Background: P2X7 receptor has emerged as a potentially superior PET imaging marker to TSPO, the gold standard for imaging glial reactivity. [C]SMW139 is the most recently developed radiotracer to image P2X7 receptor. The aim of this study was to image reactive glia in the APP/PS1-21 transgenic (TG) mouse model of Aβ deposition longitudinally using [C]SMW139 targeting P2X7 receptor and to compare tracer uptake to that of [F]F-DPA targeting TSPO at the final imaging time point.