Accelerated in vivo Cell Tracking Using Fluorine-19 MRI with Compressed Sensing

Jia Zhong¹, ², Parker H. Mills¹, ², T Kevin Hitchens¹, ², Eric T. Ahrens¹, ²

Compressed sensing (CS) has been used to significantly reduce acquisition times in a variety of MRI applications. In the current study, we describe a 3D CS method for accelerated 19F MRI and signal quantification that is suitable for cell tracking using perfluorocarbon (PFC) labels. The methods utility was demonstrated in a localized inflammation mouse model, where the quantification of PFC 19F spins in macrophages was performed at the inflammatory site. The 3D CS method displays great potential in advancing in vivo 19F MRI cell tracking to different applications including longitudinal tracking of 19F-labeled cells and in vivo cytometry.