Imaging agents for mutlimodal in vivo immune cell tracking

[摘要] The aim of this work was to develop tri-modal cell labels for tracking immune cells \(in\) \(vivo\), particularly for longitudinal studies of immune cell therapies. Localisation and quantification of the cells is invaluable in determining the effectiveness of these treatments, so imaging agents for fluorescence, \(^1\)H MRI and \(^19\)F MRI were combined.Four combinations of agents in a robust scaffold were investigated: luminescent dyes and a \(^1\)H MRI contrast agent were trapped electrostatically in a silica matrix; luminescent dyes and proton MRI agents were bound to silica and gold nanoparticle surfaces; fluorinated fluorescent dyes were investigated briefly; and all three modalities’ agents were combined by filling and functionalising a silica shell. All of these combinations were characterised and imaged using a clinical 3T MRI scanner.Lead compounds from each section were incubated with white blood cells, examining uptake in monocytes and lymphocytes, with preliminary observations of viability. Detection of labelled cells by their luminescence and MRI contrast enhancement was possible in some cases, though \(^19\)F MRI still poses some challenges.Detection limits by \(^19\)FMRI were determined for a range of fluorinated compounds, elucidating the possibilities of translating \(^19\)F MRI into the clinic with current technology.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Chemistry

[关键词] Q Science;QD Chemistry