Volume 61, Issue 2 pp. 282-290
Full Paper

Use of magnetic nanoparticles to monitor alginate-encapsulated βTC-tet cells

Ioannis Constantinidis

Ioannis Constantinidis

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

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Samuel C. Grant

Samuel C. Grant

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

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Nicholas E. Simpson

Corresponding Author

Nicholas E. Simpson

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Florida, 1600 SW Archer Rd., PO Box 100226, Gainesville, FL 32610-0226===Search for more papers by this author
Jose A. Oca-Cossio

Jose A. Oca-Cossio

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

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Carol A. Sweeney

Carol A. Sweeney

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA

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Hui Mao

Hui Mao

Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Stephen J. Blackband

Stephen J. Blackband

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA

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Athanassios Sambanis

Athanassios Sambanis

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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First published: 22 January 2009
Citations: 9

Abstract

Noninvasive monitoring of tissue-engineered constructs is an important component in optimizing construct design and assessing therapeutic efficacy. In recent years, cellular and molecular imaging initiatives have spurred the use of iron oxide-based contrast agents in the field of NMR imaging. Although their use in medical research has been widespread, their application in tissue engineering has been limited. In this study, the utility of monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles (MIONs) as an NMR contrast agent was evaluated for βTC-tet cells encapsulated within alginate/poly-L-lysine/alginate (APA) microbeads. The constructs were labeled with MIONs in two different ways: 1) MION-labeled βTC-tet cells were encapsulated in APA beads (i.e., intracellular compartment), and 2) MION particles were suspended in the alginate solution prior to encapsulation so that the alginate matrix was labeled with MIONs instead of the cells (i.e., extracellular compartment). The data show that although the location of cells can be identified within APA beads, cell growth or rearrangement within these constructs cannot be effectively monitored, regardless of the location of MION compartmentalization. The advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and their potential use in tissue engineering are discussed. Magn Reson Med 61:282–290, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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