Zaw Thin, May;
(2019)
Developing multi-modal imaging agents for stem cell tracking.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Clinical trials using stem cells as a regenerative therapy or a delivery vehicle for anti-cancer agents have been increasing but the outcomes are highly variable. In vivo imaging of stem cell delivery to target organs will help improve their therapeutic efficacy. However, a single imaging modality cannot provide the complete answer. The work in this thesis aims to develop a multi-modal imaging approach to overcome the limitations of each modality. To understand the distribution pattern of transplanted stem cells in vivo, luciferase expressing adipocyte derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) were labelled with novel bimodal (nuclear/magnetic resonance imaging) nanoparticles and the following hypotheses were tested; 1) that the distribution pattern of transplanted ADSCs would be different between venous and arterial routes, 2) that the arterial route would provide a more efficient way of delivering ADSC to tumours. In addition, ultrasound-guided renal artery injection was developed to improve stem cell delivery to kidney and the efficiency of this injection was assessed using photoacoustic and bioluminescence imaging. Moreover, the applicability of gold nanoparticles (GNP) as cell tracking agents was explored using multi-modal imaging. Results demonstrated the advantages of multi-modal imaging in assessing different cell distribution patterns after two systemic injections and confirmed that the arterial route was more efficient in delivering ADSCs to tumours. The assessment of cell localisation and viability in the kidney suggests that the level of cell engraftment improved after ultrasound-guided renal artery injection. Multi-modal imaging results indicated that GNPs are a promising cell tracking agent for computed tomography but further studies are required to define their specific applications. In conclusion, this work has demonstrated the successful application of multi-modal imaging for stem cell tracking in different organs. The findings from this thesis proved that combining the strengths of each modality can provide greater insight into cell migration and distribution.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Developing multi-modal imaging agents for stem cell tracking |
| Event: | UCL (University College London) |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2019. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10069713 |
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