Fluorine-containing nanoemulsions for MRI cell tracking.

In this article we review the chemistry and nanoemulsion formulation of perfluorocarbons used for in vivo(19)F MRI cell tracking. In this application, cells of interest are labeled in culture using a perfluorocarbon nanoemulsion. Labeled cells are introduced into a subject and tracked using (19)F MRI or NMR spectroscopy. In the same imaging session, a high-resolution, conventional ((1)H) image can be used to place the (19)F-labeled cells into anatomical context. Perfluorocarbon-based (19)F cell tracking is a useful technology because of the high specificity for labeled cells, ability to quantify cell accumulations, and biocompatibility. This technology can be widely applied to studies of inflammation, cellular regenerative medicine, and immunotherapy.