Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Stem cell therapies are gaining traction as promising treatments for a variety of degenerative conditions. Both clinical and preclinical studies of regenerative medicine are hampered by the lack of technologies that can evaluate the migration and behavior of stem cells post-transplantation. This study proposes an innovative method to longitudinally image in vivo human-induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated to retinal pigment epithelium (hiPSC-RPE) cells by multimodal photoacoustic microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescence imaging powered by ultraminiature chain-like gold nanoparticle cluster (GNC) nanosensors. The GNC exhibits an optical absorption peak in the near-infrared regime, and the 7–8 nm size in diameter after disassembly enables renal excretion and improved safety as well as biocompatibility. In a clinically relevant rabbit model, GNC-labeled hiPSC-RPE cells migrated to RPE degeneration areas and regenerated damaged tissues. The hiPSC-RPE cells’ distribution and migration were noninvasively, longitudinally monitored for 6 months with exceptional sensitivity and spatial resolution. This advanced platform for cellular imaging has the potential to enhance regenerative cell-based therapies.
Source: ACS Nano
Institutions: University of Michigan, IMRA America (United States)
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G3131410269, G3463356597, G3631167995, G4389142736, Investigating Membrane Trafficking Deficits in Choroideremia, G667672624, G7715434445, Real-time In Vivo Visualization of the Molecular Processes in Choroidal Neovascularization, Multimodal Molecular Imaging of Choroidal Neovascularization, University of Michigan Vision Research Center, Development of Nanoneedle Array for Painless and Long-Term Sustained Intraocular Drug Delivery
OpenAlex ID: W4399041614