Abstract #0354

Hockett F, Neubauer A, Caruthers S, Lanza G, Wickline S, Chen J, Nolta J, Crowder K, Brandt J

Stem cell tracking is rapidly developing as a new application of magnetic resonance imaging because it allows for precise anatomical localization of the cells as they migrate in living tissue. While most current labeling methods have centered on the use of iron oxide particles to produce negative contrast, we have developed a liquid perfluorocarbon nanoparticle that is readily endocytosed by stem/progenitor cells and allows for 19F imaging for tracking. In this work, we demonstrate the use of these particles for imaging of labeled cells in vitro at both 11.7 T and 1.5T, and in mouse skeletal muscle at 11.7 T.