Simultaneous and Quantitative Tracking of Distinct Cell Populations Using 19F MRI

Mangala Srinivas¹, Fernando Bonetto², Jurjen Tel¹, Gerty Schreibelt¹, Javier Cruz³, Arend Heerschap⁴, Carl Figdor¹, Jolanda de Vries¹

The use of 19F MRI for cell tracking is a relatively new field. We demonstrate the tracking of two distinct primary human dendritic cell subsets, as used in clinical trials, using distinct 19F resonances. Typically, such multispectral analyses are done using chemical shift imaging (CSI); here we use a modified gradient echo sequence to image both cell populations simultaneously, quantitatively and efficiently (several fold faster than CSI). We use clinically applicable nanoparticle labels, with distinct fluorescent dyes to enable multimodal imaging. We find that labeling has minimal effect on cells, in terms of viability, maturation and migration.