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Updated: May 10, 2025
In vitro and in vivo Bioluminescence Reporter Gene Imaging of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: May 2, 2008
Gas Vesicle-Expressing Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Enable Multimodal Ultrasound and Optical Coherence Tomographic
Alessandro R Howells1, John Kim2, Sumin Park3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
None:
Genetically encoded imaging reporters are critical tools for tracking cell fate and function in regenerative medicine. Gas vesicles (GVs), air-filled protein nanostructures derived from bacteria, offer unique advantages for noninvasive imaging due to their acoustic and optical properties. In this study, we engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to express GVs using a doxycycline-inducible system. Upon doxycycline (Dox) treatment, GVs formed intracellularly and enabled enhanced contrast in both ultrasound and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Dynamic ultrasound imaging revealed pressure-dependent GV buckling and harmonic signal generation, while OCT imaging confirmed high sensitivity and depth-resolved detection in both in vitro and ex vivo retinal models. Our work establishes a multimodal GV-based reporter platform compatible with human stem cells and clinically relevant imaging modalities. This approach offers a powerful and versatile tool for noninvasively visualizing and tracking therapeutic cells in real time, advancing the development and monitoring of cell-based therapies.
