TY - JOUR

T1 - Lost signature: progress and failures in in vivo tracking of implanted stem cells

AU - von der Haar, K.

AU - Lavrentieva, A.

AU - Stahl, F.

AU - Scheper, T.

AU - Blume, C.

N1 - Funding information: This work has been carried out as an integral part of the BIOFABRICATION FOR NIFE Initiative, which is financially supported by the ministry of Lower Saxony and the VolkswagenStiftung. (NIFE is the Lower Saxony Center for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development, a joint translational research center of the Hannover Medical School, the Leibniz University Hannover, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, and the Laser Center Hannover.)

PY - 2015/9/15

Y1 - 2015/9/15

N2 - Stem cell therapy as a part of regenerative medicine provides promising approaches for the treatment of injuries and diseases. The increasing use of mesenchymal stem cells in various medical treatments created the demand for long-term in vivo cell tracking methods. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze post-transplantational survival, biodistribution, and engraftment of cells. Furthermore, stem cell treatment has been discussed controversially due to possible association with tumor formation in the recipient. For therapeutic purpose, stem cells must undergo substantial manipulation such as differentiation and in vitro expansion, and this can lead to the occurrence of genetic aberrations and altered expression of both tumor suppression and carcinogenic factors. To control therapy, it is necessary to find a reliable and general method to track and identify implanted cells in the recipient. This is especially challenging for autologous transplantations, as standard fingerprinting methods cannot be applied. An optimal technique for in vivo cell monitoring does not yet exist, and its development holds several challenges: small numbers of transplanted cells, possibility of cell number quantification, minimal transfer of the contrast agent to non-transplanted cells, and no genetic modification. This review discusses most of the proposed solutions, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging, positron emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, and optical imaging methods. Additionally, the recent research on cell labeling for stem cell monitoring after transplantation including in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo imaging studies is described. Promising future imaging modalities for stem cell monitoring after transplantation are shown.

AB - Stem cell therapy as a part of regenerative medicine provides promising approaches for the treatment of injuries and diseases. The increasing use of mesenchymal stem cells in various medical treatments created the demand for long-term in vivo cell tracking methods. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze post-transplantational survival, biodistribution, and engraftment of cells. Furthermore, stem cell treatment has been discussed controversially due to possible association with tumor formation in the recipient. For therapeutic purpose, stem cells must undergo substantial manipulation such as differentiation and in vitro expansion, and this can lead to the occurrence of genetic aberrations and altered expression of both tumor suppression and carcinogenic factors. To control therapy, it is necessary to find a reliable and general method to track and identify implanted cells in the recipient. This is especially challenging for autologous transplantations, as standard fingerprinting methods cannot be applied. An optimal technique for in vivo cell monitoring does not yet exist, and its development holds several challenges: small numbers of transplanted cells, possibility of cell number quantification, minimal transfer of the contrast agent to non-transplanted cells, and no genetic modification. This review discusses most of the proposed solutions, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic particle imaging, positron emission tomography, single-photon emission computed tomography, and optical imaging methods. Additionally, the recent research on cell labeling for stem cell monitoring after transplantation including in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo imaging studies is described. Promising future imaging modalities for stem cell monitoring after transplantation are shown.

KW - FLI

KW - In vivo imaging

KW - MRI

KW - PET

KW - SPECT

KW - Stem cells

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947043328&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00253-015-6965-7

DO - 10.1007/s00253-015-6965-7

M3 - Review article

C2 - 26373727

AN - SCOPUS:84947043328

VL - 99

SP - 9907

EP - 9922

JO - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

SN - 0175-7598

IS - 23

ER -