Multispectral optoacoustic tomography is more sensitive than micro‐computed tomography for tracking gold nanorod labelled mesenchymal stromal cells

Abstract

Tracking the fate of therapeutic cell types is important for assessing their safety and efficacy. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is an effective cell tracking technique, but poor spatial resolution means it has limited ability to precisely map cells in vivo in 3D. This can be overcome by using a bimodal imaging approach that combines BLI with a technique capable of generating high‐resolution images. Here we compared the effectiveness of combining either multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) or micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT) with BLI for tracking the fate of luciferase+ human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) labelled with gold nanorods. Following subcutaneous administration in mice, the MSCs could be readily detected with MSOT but not with micro‐CT. We conclude that MSOT is more sensitive than micro‐CT for tracking gold nanorod‐labelled cells in vivo and depending on the route of administration, can be used effectively with BLI to track MSC fate in mice.

Near infrared conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPN™) for tracking cells using fluorescence and optoacoustic imaging

“…Moreover, carbon nanotubes and gold nanorods can be toxic to cells and tissues, especially when used at high concentrations. 33,34 We have previously shown that the fluorescent properties of the CPN™ nanoprobes compares well to other fluorescent nanoprobes, such as quantum dots. For instance, the CPN™ nanoprobes show limited phototoxicity, are photostable, and show good resistance to photobleaching.…”