Cell labeling with a novel contrast agent of magnetic resonance imaging.

Cell therapy is a proven and efficient method for treating multiple diseases. For both basic research and clinical practice, the development of noninvasive in vivo imaging methods is essential for monitoring the trafficking or homing of transplanted cells. One attractive approach for the effective imaging of transplanted cells is the efficient labeling of cells with a contrast agent. In this study, we developed a novel contrast agent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), TMADM-02. TMADM-02 was efficiently transduced into cells without toxicity. However, the aggregation of TMADM-02 was observed because of its low stability in culture medium. Therefore, TMADM-02 may have led to a false-positive test result. In future studies, we should verify not only the efficiency of labeling cells but also the stability of the contrast agent of MRI for clinical applications.