Techniques and Methods for In Vivo MRI Monitoring of Exogenous and Endogenous Neural Stem Cell-Mediated Brain Repair

Neurogenesis has been found in adult human brain after brain damage. MRI is a promising tool for in vivo stem cell monitoring to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of neurogenesis arising from endogenous stem cells. To date, SPIO is most commonly used for MRI detection of labeled cells after cell transplantation, and has been used in clinical studies for MRI monitoring of labeled stem cells. Generally, stem cells are labeled in vitro before implantation and in vivo MRI tracking in human studies. However, labeling stem cell in situ and then tracking in vivo with MRI have been achieved in animal experiments. Methods for in situ labeling of endogenous neural stem cells in human with SPIO may be developed based on current techniques and methods, though it should overcome big challenges to achieve this aim. Quantitative analysis of temporo-spatial dynamics of labeled neural stem cells, BOLD-fMRI and functional connectivity analysis have hardly been applied in studies monitoring labeled neural stem cells. These methods may further our understanding of neural stem cell-mediated brain repair. The relevant patents are discussed.