Abstract #1892

Kozlowski P, Doudet D, Flores J, MacKay A, Frank J, O'Kusky J

Intrastriatal implantation of human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells has been shown to produce long-term motor improvement in Parkinsons Disease patients and animal models of PD. We present the results of a preliminary study to assess the safety and efficacy of SPIO labelling of hRPE cells for non invasive imaging using MRI. There was no effect of labelling on viability and doubling time of the hRPE cells. The cells implanted in the brain of a monkey were visible in vivo on MRI images acquired 7 weeks post-implantation. Post mortem histochemistry confirmed the presence of labelled cells at the implant site.