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Updated: Jul 8, 2026
Tracking Bispecific Antibody-Induced T Cell Trafficking Using Luciferase-Transduced Human T Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
Tracking therapeutic T cells in vivo
Angela Z Gong1, Mark A Sellmyer2
1Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Abstract:
Engineered cell therapies have shown remarkable promise in treating malignancies and autoimmune diseases. As of 2025, there are seven FDA-approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapies, each treating different cancers. Despite rapid progress in developing new therapies, there is a lack of understanding about the in vivo behavior of adoptively transferred cells. Noninvasive methods that monitor CAR T cell dynamics and persistence in vivo are critical to both assess individual patients' responses to therapy in real time and to guiding improvements to engineered cell therapies. Imaging approaches that evaluate persistence, proliferation, functionality, and distribution of T cells will aid in optimizing therapeutic development and adjustment of treatment strategies in the clinic. Molecular imaging can noninvasively track labeled cells on a whole-body level and enable long-term monitoring of adoptively transferred cells in a manner compatible with the proliferation and persistence of therapeutic cells and may someday be able to bypass the need for paired biopsies. In this chapter, we highlight examples of cell tracking and labeling strategies for engineered T cell therapies.
Insights
Monitoring engineered cell therapies like CAR T-cells in vivo is crucial for patient response assessment and therapy improvement. Molecular imaging offers noninvasive, whole-body tracking to optimize these advanced treatments.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Immunotherapy
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Engineered cell therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, show significant promise for treating cancers and autoimmune diseases.
- Seven CAR T-cell therapies are FDA-approved as of 2025, highlighting rapid advancements in the field.
- A critical knowledge gap exists regarding the in vivo behavior of adoptively transferred cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize the importance of noninvasive methods for monitoring engineered T-cell dynamics in real time.
- To highlight the role of imaging in assessing T-cell persistence, proliferation, functionality, and distribution.
- To guide improvements in engineered cell therapy development and clinical treatment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Discussing cell tracking and labeling strategies for engineered T-cell therapies.
- Exploring molecular imaging techniques for noninvasive, whole-body cell monitoring.
- Reviewing approaches compatible with therapeutic cell proliferation and persistence.
Main Results:
- Molecular imaging enables noninvasive, long-term monitoring of adoptively transferred cells.
- Imaging can assess key parameters like persistence, proliferation, functionality, and distribution.
- These methods aid in real-time patient response assessment and therapy optimization.
Conclusions:
- Noninvasive monitoring is essential for advancing engineered T-cell therapies.
- Molecular imaging provides a powerful tool for tracking cell dynamics in vivo.
- Optimized tracking strategies will improve therapeutic efficacy and clinical application.
