Mahoney, Rebecca Ann2015-03-252015-03-252014-12https://hdl.handle.net/11299/170818University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. December 2014. Major: Stem Cell Biology. Advisors: Dr. Ann Parr, Dr. James Dutton. v, 57 pages.new method to track cells in vivo utilizes proton (1H) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with 19fluorine MRI. Cells can be labeled ex vivo with the 19F reagent prior to transplantation and imaged with MRI to generate a signal detected by a custom made, dual-tone fluorine coil to show transplanted cell "hotspots" in the host tissue. Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs) are an ideal cell population for cellular therapy in traumatic spinal cord injury due to their ability to remyelinate and support axons after injury. OPCs can be labeled with 19F at a similar efficiency as other cell types, confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and NMR spectroscopy. Potential real-time, in vivo cellular tracking of transplanted OPCs would allow for analysis of cell migration after transplantation, comparison of functional analysis with transplanted cell numbers and location at multiple time points for each animal, and quantification of transplanted cells. Cell characterization of transplanted iPSC derived OPCs in injured rat spinal cords has been optimized, and can be translated to 19F labeled cell transplants in the future. The FDA approved Cell Sense 19F reagent allows for direct translation to use in humans for cell visualization and tracking that is not possible in current clinical trials for cellular therapies.enStem cell biologyThesis or Dissertation