Open AccessTracking Stem Cells for Cellular Therapy in Stroke
Author(s) -
Nathan C. Manley,
Gary K. Steinberg
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
current pharmaceutical design
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1873-4286
pISSN - 1381-6128
DOI - 10.2174/138161212802002643
Subject(s) - stem cell , transplantation , magnetic resonance imaging , stem cell therapy , medicine , stroke (engine) , positron emission tomography , neuroscience , cell therapy , pathology , radiology , surgery , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , physics , thermodynamics
Stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising treatment strategy for stroke. The development of effective ways to monitor transplanted stem cells is essential to understand how stem cell transplantation enhances stroke recovery and ultimately will be an indispensable tool for advancing stem cell therapy to the clinic. In this review, we describe existing methods of tracking transplanted stem cells in vivo, including optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET), with emphasis on the benefits and drawbacks of each imaging approach. Key considerations such as the potential impact of each tracking system on stem cell function, as well as its relative applicability to humans are discussed. Finally, we describe multi-modal imaging strategies as a more comprehensive method to track transplanted stem cells in the stroke-injured brain.