An Advance in MRI Technology

The EurekAlert article titled Carnegie Mellon MRI technology that noninvasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body describes an advance in MRI made possible by technology developed by Eric Ahrens of Carnegie Mellon University.

MRI, currently utilized, detects a magnetic resonance signal from water within body tissue or, more specifically, protons in the water. The idea behind the new technology is attaching a substance known as perfluoropolyether (PFPE) nanoemulsion to cells, so that signals from the nucleus of flourine atoms contained within PFPE, can be used to track cells.

The following is from the linked article:

"With our technology we can image specific cells in real-time with exquisite selectivity, which allows us to track their location and movement and to count the apparent number of cells present. We then use conventional MRI to obtain a high-resolution image that places the labeled cells in their anatomical context," said Ahrens, an associate professor of biological sciences at the Mellon College of Science.

The ability to track the movement and eventual location of specific immune cells is critical for understanding the cells' role in disease and therapeutic mechanisms, and for developing effective cell-based therapeutics. Other MRI methods for visualizing cells use metal-based contrast agents, which can make it difficult to clearly identify labeled cells in the body, according to Ahrens.