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Imaging in cardiac cell-based therapy: in vivo tracking of the biological fate of therapeutic cells

Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine volume 5, pages S96–S102 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Clinical trials in cardiac cell-based therapy (CBT) have demonstrated the immense potential of stem progenitor cells (SPCs) to repair the injured myocardium. The bulk of evidence so far has shown that CBT can lead to structural and functional improvements. Unresolved issues remain, however, including gaps in the understanding of mechanisms and mixed results from CBT trials. To try to provide answers for these issues, assessment of the biological fate of SPCs once delivered to the injured heart has been called for. Advances in contrast agents and imaging modalities have made feasible the objective assessment of the in vivo molecular and cellular evolution of transplanted SPCs. In vivo imaging can target fundamental processes related to SPCs to gain information on their biological activities and outcomes within specific authentic microenvironments. Advantages and inherent drawbacks of imaging techniques, such as reporter-gene systems, optical imaging, radionuclide imaging, and MRI, are discussed in this Review. More than ever, it has become clear to scientists and clinicians that parallel developments in cell-based therapies and in vivo imaging modalities will strengthen this blossoming field.

Key Points

  • Cell-based therapy using stem progenitor cells (SPCs) shows great clinical promise

  • Clear understanding of the biological fate of transplanted SPCs still needs to be ascertained

  • Imaging techniques, such as reporter-gene-based, optical-based, radionuclide-based, and magnetic resonance-based modalities, offer tremendous potential in terms of in vivo SPC tracking for preclinical and clinical applications

  • In vivo imaging modalities with improved accuracy that can provide long-term serial assessment of the biodistribution and fate of SPCs are required

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Figure 1: Role of imaging modalities in cardiac cell-based therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HQ Ly is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and an Interventional Cardiologist in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, University of Montreal School of Medicine, Montreal, QC, Canada.,

    Hung Q Ly

  2. JV Frangioni is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and an Associate Professor of Radiology in the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,

    John V Frangioni

  3. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, RJ Hajjar is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,

    Roger J Hajjar

Authors
  1. Hung Q Ly
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  2. John V Frangioni
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Correspondence to Hung Q Ly.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Ly, H., Frangioni, J. & Hajjar, R. Imaging in cardiac cell-based therapy: in vivo tracking of the biological fate of therapeutic cells. Nat Rev Cardiol 5 (Suppl 2), S96–S102 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio1159

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio1159

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