Better way to track emerging cell therapies using MRIs
Posted: September 20, 2014 at 5:45 am
Cellular therapeutics -- using intact cells to treat and cure disease -- is a hugely promising new approach in medicine but it is hindered by the inability of doctors and scientists to effectively track the movements, destination and persistence of these cells in patients without resorting to invasive procedures, like tissue sampling.
In a paper published September 17 in the online journal Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere describe the first human tests of using a perfluorocarbon (PFC) tracer in combination with non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track therapeutic immune cells injected into patients with colorectal cancer.
"Initially, we see this technique used for clinical trials that involve tests of new cell therapies," said first author Eric T. Ahrens, PhD, professor in the Department of Radiology at UC San Diego. "Clinical development of cell therapies can be accelerated by providing feedback regarding cell motility, optimal delivery routes, individual therapeutic doses and engraftment success."
Currently, there is no accepted way to image cells in the human body that covers a broad range of cell types and diseases. Earlier techniques have used metal ion-based vascular MRI contrast agents and radioisotopes. The former have proven difficult to differentiate in vivo; the latter raise concerns about radiation toxicity and do not provide the anatomical detail available with MRIs.
"This is the first human PFC cell tracking agent, which is a new way to do MRI cell tracking," said Ahrens. "It's the first example of a clinical MRI agent designed specifically for cell tracking."
Researchers used a PFC tracer agent and an MRI technique that directly detects fluorine atoms in labeled cells. Fluorine atoms naturally occur in extremely low concentrations in the body, making it easier to observe cells labeled with fluorine using MRI. In this case, the modified and labeled dendritic cells -- potent stimulators of the immune system -- were first prepared from white blood cells extracted from the patient. The cells were then injected into patients with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer to stimulate an anti-cancer T-cell immune response.
The published study did not assess the efficacy of the cell therapy, but rather the ability of researchers to detect the labeled cells and monitor what happened to them. Ahrens said the technique worked as expected, with the surprising finding that only half of the delivered cell vaccine remained at the inoculation site after 24 hours.
"The imaging agent technology has been to shown to be able to tag any cell type that is of interest," Ahrens said. "It is a platform imaging technology for a wide range of diseases and applications," which might also speed development of relevant therapies.
"Non-invasive cell tracking may help lower regulatory barriers," Ahrens explained. "For example, new stem cell therapies can be slow to obtain regulatory approvals in part because it is difficult, if not impossible, with current approaches to verify survival and location of transplanted cells. And cell therapy trials generally have a high cost per patient. Tools that allow the investigator to gain a 'richer' data set from individual patients mean it may be possible to reduce patient numbers enrolled in a trial, thus reducing total trial cost."
Story Source:
Continue reading here:
Better way to track emerging cell therapies using MRIs
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and ... - October 30th, 2015
- Molecular & Cellular Medicine - October 29th, 2015
- Sickle cell anemia Treatments and drugs - Mayo Clinic - October 29th, 2015
- How are stem cells used in medicine today? - HowStuffWorks - October 29th, 2015
- Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity An Open Access ... - October 29th, 2015
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology - October 29th, 2015
- Sickle Cell Anemia: MedlinePlus - National Library of Medicine - October 29th, 2015
- Personalized RegenerativeMedicine : Dr David Steenblock - October 29th, 2015
- Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine - October 29th, 2015
- The Power of Stem Cells | California's Stem Cell Agency - October 29th, 2015
- Herbal medicine | Cancer Research UK - October 29th, 2015
- UR Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute (SCRMI) - October 29th, 2015
- Penn Medicine News: Genetically Modified "Serial Killer" T ... - October 29th, 2015
- Beta cell regeneration - Center for Regenerative Medicine ... - October 29th, 2015
- The Stem Cell Theory of Cancer - Stanford Medicine Center - October 29th, 2015
- What is a cell? - Genetics Home Reference - October 16th, 2015
- Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine - University of Utah ... - October 13th, 2015
- Sickle Cell Anemia: Learn About SCD Symptoms and Treatment - September 26th, 2015
- Research - Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ... - September 26th, 2015
- Sickle Cell Disease (Sickle Cell Anemia ... - MedicineNet - September 26th, 2015
- T Cell Therapy (CTL019) | The Children's Hospital of ... - September 15th, 2015
- Knoepfler Lab Stem Cell Blog | Building innovative ... - September 10th, 2015
- Cell culture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - September 6th, 2015
- What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the ... - August 17th, 2015
- One type of airway cell can regenerate another lung cell type - April 13th, 2015
- Limber Lungs: One Type of Airway Cell Can Regenerate Another Lung Cell Type - April 13th, 2015
- Regenestem Network Announces Plans to Attend the 23rd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine May 7-9, 2015 - April 6th, 2015
- 'Open' stem cell chromosomes reveal new possibilities for diabetes - April 3rd, 2015
- Key mechanism identified in tumor-cell proliferation in pediatric bone cancers - April 3rd, 2015
- UCI team gets $5 million to create stem cell treatment for Huntington's disease - March 28th, 2015
- Sungduan: Growth factors - March 28th, 2015
- Cleveland Clinic Researchers First to Demonstrate Significant Blocking of Opioid Tolerance With Mesenchymal Stem Cell ... - March 25th, 2015
- Johns Hopkins Medicine, based in Baltimore, Maryland - March 23rd, 2015
- stem cell medicine Jakarta tangerang serpong bsd bintaro - Video - March 21st, 2015
- Global Stem Cells Group to Hold Practical Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Harvesting, Isolation and Re-integration Training ... - March 20th, 2015
- Boston Stem Cell Biotech Start-up Asymmetrex Will Present Essential Technologies for Stem Cell Medical Engineering at ... - March 18th, 2015
- A Single-Cell Breakthrough: newly developed technology dissects properties of single stem cells - March 18th, 2015
- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to Present at 3rd Annual Regen Med Investor Day on March 25 in New York - March 18th, 2015
- Global Stem Cells Group to Participate in the 25th Argentine Congress of Aesthetic Medicine in Buenos Aires April 9-10 ... - March 17th, 2015
- Boosting A Natural Protection Against Alzheimer's Disease - March 13th, 2015
- Media portray unrealistic timelines for stem cell therapies - March 12th, 2015
- Stem cells lurking in tumors can resist treatment - March 12th, 2015
- Building custom blood cells to battle sickle cell disease - March 11th, 2015
- Johns Hopkins researchers engineer custom blood cells - March 10th, 2015
- Targazyme Inc. Receives Orphan Drug Designation to TZ101 for Use With Regulatory T Cells to Prevent & Reduce the ... - March 10th, 2015
- Mast cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - March 9th, 2015
- Achieving gender equality in science, engineering and medicine - March 9th, 2015
- Seven strategies to advance women in science - March 9th, 2015
- British biotech firm sets crowdfunding record with heart drug - March 9th, 2015
- A good night's sleep keeps your stem cells young - March 9th, 2015
- Howe's recovery shows stem-cell advances - March 1st, 2015
- Translational Regenerative Medicine: Market Prospects 2015-2025 - February 28th, 2015
- Stem cellrecruiting hydrogels based on self-assembling peptides for tissue regeneration - February 25th, 2015
- Sertoli cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 17th, 2015
- Global Stem Cells Group Announces Alliance with Regenerative Technology - February 11th, 2015
- Biotech firm Cell Therapy claims crowdfunding record with heart drug - February 10th, 2015
- Two UC San Diego Scientists Receive Stem Cell Technology Grants - February 3rd, 2015
- Regenestem Network and Gilberto Hernandez Falcon, M.D. Open Stem Cell Clinic in Yucatan - January 31st, 2015
- Global Stem Cells Group and Regenestem Network Announce Launch of New Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Clinic in ... - January 29th, 2015
- Asymmetrex Scheduled to Present Unique Perspectives in Stem Cell Biology and Recent Advances in Technologies for Adult ... - January 29th, 2015
- Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among medical experts - January 29th, 2015
- Gordie Howe's stem cell therapy raises concerns among experts - January 29th, 2015
- BioTime Announces Issuance of 14 New Patents in the Fields of Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Technology, and Cancer ... - January 27th, 2015
- Keeping the Kraken asleep - January 27th, 2015
- Helmholtz International Fellow Award for Prof. Amanda Fisher from London - January 27th, 2015
- Regenestem Network, a division of Global Stem Cells Group, Announces Launch of New Stem Cells and Regenerative ... - January 22nd, 2015
- Scientists announce revolutionary culturing technique for liver and pancreas - January 22nd, 2015
- New Type of Cell Found to Repair Lung Injury in Mice - January 18th, 2015
- Stem cells derived from amniotic tissues have immunosuppressive properties - January 16th, 2015
- Global Stem Cells Group to Move Headquarters to Larger Miami Lakes Office Complex - January 14th, 2015
- Peter S. Kim Named the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford - January 13th, 2015
- Renowned professor's book addresses stem cell biology & regenerative medicine - January 13th, 2015
- Circadian rhythms regulate skin stem cell metabolism and expansion, study finds - January 7th, 2015
- Cord Blood Banking Leader, Cryo-Cell International, Continues to Support the Advancement of Regenerative Medicine - January 6th, 2015
- Scientists Develop Pioneering Method to Define Stages of Stem Cell Reprogramming - January 6th, 2015
- Pioneering method developed to define stages of stem cell reprogramming - January 6th, 2015
- The Irvine Stem Cell Treatment Center Announces Adult Stem Cell Public Seminars in Orange County, California - January 5th, 2015
- Ten years in, California's stem cell program is getting a reboot - January 4th, 2015
- Two-thirds of cancer cases are "bad luck," study says - January 1st, 2015
- 'Bad Luck' of Random Mutations Plays Predominant Role in Cancer, Study Shows - January 1st, 2015