Halima Chahboune1,2, Jamie Harrington3,
Jason Criscione2, Ragy Ragheb2, Narutoshi Hibino3,
Toshiharu Shinoka3, Christopher Breuer Breuer3, Tarek
Fahmy4
1Diagnostic Radiology, Yale
University, New Haven, CT, United States; 2Biomedical Engineering,
Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; 3Interdepartmental
Program in Vascular Biology & Therapeutic, Yale University, New HAven,
CT, United States; 4Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New
Haven, United States
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive method potentially well suited for monitoring cells grafts to identify and map the fate of transplanted cells. This study reports the use of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles to noninvasively monitor and map the fate of labeled macrophages seeded onto a biodegradable scaffold used as venous conduit. The results demonstrate that the seeded cells do not actually become incorporated into the neovessel, but instead are important for inciting an inflammatory remodeling process, through the recruitment of host cells, that is critical for the development of the neovessel.