Quantitative cellular density imaging using MRI

The role of cells is central to the progression of adverse events for nearly every disease. An understanding of migration patterns for cells of the body's immune system over time, or in response to treatment, is critical to discovering the physiological processes responsible. Methods that non-invasively obtain information about cellular migration patterns would greatly benefit diagnostic assessment of newly developed cellular therapy strategies proposed for the treatment of heart disease and stroke.Current techniques for observing cell behavior are invasive, and so interfere with normal biological activity and cannot be repeated frequently over time. The research being proposed here would allow for the development of MRI techniques to non-invasively map the migration patterns of cells of interest by labeling them with tiny quantities of iron-oxide. By creating a tool to monitor cell homing in a quantitative way, as proposed in this research, basic understanding of cell-biology processes in inflammation research and new therapies in regenerative medicine may be developed.