PI Mike Modo
Co Investigator S Badylak and T Jin
Title Non-invasive imaging of the in situ restoration of brain tissue
Description: Regenerative medicine is increasingly finding translations from the bench to the bedside. As stem cells are integrated with biomaterials for in situ tissue engineering, the complexity of the procedure is increasing and it is becoming important to monitor how these processes interact over time in vivo. Translation of this non-invasive monitoring into patients requires the development and implementation of appropriate approaches. Our proposal here aims to develop chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), a non-invasive MRI technique, as a core platform to visualize multiple cell types, as well as biomaterials, while maintaining our ability to characterize newly forming tissue with other MRI techniques, such as MRS, as well as diffusion and perfusion MRI. Very significant technological, as well as neurobiological challenges, however, need to be addressed before we can integrate this multi-parametric MRI into an efficient non-invasive assessment of in situ tissue engineering. The proposed studies aim to address these challenges and provide a framework within which we can eventually explore the therapeutic potential of this approach. If a newly functional tissue can be generated to replace that which is lost due to the stroke, this approach could indeed dramatically change the long-term outcome after stroke.
Source: NINDS
Term 07/01/2014-06/30/2017
Amount $921,374