Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2025
09:41
Imaging CD19+ B Cells in an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model using Positron Emission Tomography
Published on: January 20, 2023
1.9K
Imaging CD19+ B Cells in an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model using Positron Emission Tomography
Samantha T Reyes1, E Carmen Azevedo1, Haley C Cropper1
1Department of Radiology, Stanford University.
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|February 6, 2023
Summary
This study developed a novel PET tracer to visualize and quantify B cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) models. This imaging tool could help personalize B cell therapies for MS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimmunology
- Medical Imaging
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a leading cause of neurological disability in young adults, characterized by central nervous system (CNS) demyelination.
- B lymphocytes are implicated in MS pathogenesis, and targeted B cell therapies are under investigation.
- Current methods lack non-invasive ways to select patients for anti-B cell therapies or monitor treatment efficacy by quantifying B cell burden in the CNS and periphery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for in vivo detection and quantification of CD19+ B cells.
- To apply this PET imaging technique in a mouse model of MS (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, EAE) to assess B cell distribution.
- To establish methods for ex vivo validation of PET tracer binding in relevant tissues.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and optimization of a novel PET tracer targeting human CD19+ B cells.
- In vivo PET imaging in a mouse model of MS (EAE) induced with human recombinant myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG).
- Ex vivo gamma counting and high-resolution autoradiography of CNS and peripheral organs (bone marrow, spinal cord, spleen) to quantify tracer uptake.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis and characterization of a CD19-specific PET tracer.
- Demonstrated ability to detect and quantify CD19+ B cells in the brain and spinal cord of EAE mice using in vivo PET imaging.
- Corroborated PET findings with ex vivo analyses of tracer distribution in relevant organs.
Conclusions:
- The developed PET tracer enables non-invasive, quantitative imaging of CD19+ B cells in a preclinical MS model.
- This imaging approach holds promise for patient stratification and monitoring therapeutic responses in B cell-targeted MS treatments.
- Further development could lead to personalized medicine strategies for multiple sclerosis management.
