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Clinical Tracking of Cell Transfer and Cell Transplantation: Trials and Tribulations

Jeff W M Bulte1, Heike E Daldrup-Link1

  • 1From the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, Departments of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 217 Traylor Bldg, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21205 (J.W.M.B.); and Departments of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS) and Pediatrics, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif (H.E.D.L.).

Radiology
|October 10, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Clinical cell tracking is advancing, moving beyond proof of concept. Future research must demonstrate how imaging tools improve patient treatment and clinical outcomes for cell therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Oncology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Cell therapy offers significant potential for tissue repair and cancer treatment.
  • In vivo imaging tools are emerging for tracking therapeutic cells in clinical settings.
  • Current clinical cell tracking studies primarily demonstrate feasibility of cell detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review key clinical questions in cell therapy regarding cell delivery, viability, immune response, differentiation, and proliferation.
  • To assess the current limitations of clinical cell tracking, focusing on immediate delivery and short-term retention.
  • To explore the future clinical relevance and impact of cell tracking technologies on patient management and outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on clinical cell tracking studies.
  • Analysis of current clinical queries in cell therapy.
  • Discussion of the transition from proof of principle to clinical utility for cell tracking tools.

Main Results:

  • Clinical cell tracking has confirmed the feasibility of detecting therapeutic cells.
  • Current tracking provides data on immediate cell delivery and short-term retention.
  • Significant questions remain regarding long-term cell fate and therapeutic efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Cell tracking must evolve beyond feasibility to demonstrate tangible improvements in patient treatment and clinical outcomes.
  • The clinical utility of tracking therapeutic cells requires evidence of impact on patient management and decision-making.
  • Future research should focus on establishing the necessity and benefit of cell tracking for individual patients.

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