In vivo tracking of human neural stem cells with 19F magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising tool for monitoring stem cell-based therapy. Conventionally, cells loaded with ironoxide nanoparticles appear hypointense on MR images. However, the contrast generated by ironoxide labeled cells is neither specific due to ambiguous background nor quantitative.

Stem cell implantation in ischemic mouse heart: a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging investigation.

Advances in the biology of stem cells have evoked great interest in cell replacement therapies for the regeneration of heart tissue after myocardial infarction. However, results from human trials are controversial, since the destination of the injected cells, their engraftment and their long-term fate have remained unclear. Here we investigate whether transplanted cells can be identified in the intact and lesioned murine myocardium employing high-resolution MRI.

Monitoring of implanted stem cell migration in vivo: a highly resolved in vivo magnetic resonance imaging investigation of experimental stroke in rat.

In vivo monitoring of stem cells after grafting is essential for a better understanding of their migrational dynamics and differentiation processes and of their regeneration potential. Migration of endogenous or grafted stem cells and neurons has been described in vertebrate brain, both under normal conditions from the subventricular zone along the rostral migratory stream and under pathophysiological conditions, such as degeneration or focal cerebral ischemia. Those studies, however, relied on invasive analysis of brain sections in combination with appropriate staining techniques.

Investigation of insect morphology by MRI: assessment of spatial and temporal resolution.

Classically, the investigation of the internal morphology of insects relies on histologic methods, e.g., the preparation of thin tissue sections.