New method allows stem cells to be imaged in heart
This special camera is the same type used in computer tomography (CT) scans. These scans are traditionally used in medicine to diagnose diseases such as cancer or a ruptured aorta. CT scans take two-dimensional pictures and then paste these pictures together to create a three-dimensional image.
They do this non-invasively, which means there is no need for surgery or any other procedure to view the object inside of the body.
The researchers isolated the cardiac stem cells, had the cells express the NIS protein, simulated a heart attack in a rat and then injected the hearts of the rats with these stem cells.
To image the stem cells, the team injected the rats with specifically labeled iodine that is taken in by the cardiac stem cells. Then, using CT scans, they could image where the stem cells were located and where they grew in the heart muscle over time.
However, as this is the first of many studies to come from the researchers, they have not tested whether the cardiac stem cells are actually repairing the heart.
This study was a proof of principle that stem cells could be imaged non-invasively using current medical technologies. The second step will be to show that the stem cells used in this study actually repair the heart muscle, although this has been shown in other studies.
From here, it is important to prove these cells are repairing the heart and also have the ability to be imaged in humans. This is a major step towards creating better and more effective stem cell therapies, with the hope of using them in humans as soon as that is safely possible.
They do this non-invasively, which means there is no need for surgery or any other procedure to view the object inside of the body.
The researchers isolated the cardiac stem cells, had the cells express the NIS protein, simulated a heart attack in a rat and then injected the hearts of the rats with these stem cells.
To image the stem cells, the team injected the rats with specifically labeled iodine that is taken in by the cardiac stem cells. Then, using CT scans, they could image where the stem cells were located and where they grew in the heart muscle over time.
However, as this is the first of many studies to come from the researchers, they have not tested whether the cardiac stem cells are actually repairing the heart.
This study was a proof of principle that stem cells could be imaged non-invasively using current medical technologies. The second step will be to show that the stem cells used in this study actually repair the heart muscle, although this has been shown in other studies.
From here, it is important to prove these cells are repairing the heart and also have the ability to be imaged in humans. This is a major step towards creating better and more effective stem cell therapies, with the hope of using them in humans as soon as that is safely possible.
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