title: T cell homing to tumors detected by 3D-coordinated positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: A general hindrance to progress in adoptive cellular therapy is the lack of detailed knowledge of the fate of transferred cells in the body of the recipient. In this study, we present a novel technique for tracking of 124I-labeled cells in situ, which combines the high spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging with the high sensitivity and spatial accuracy of positron emission tomography. We have used this technique, together with determination of tissue radioactivity, flow cytometry, and microscopy, to characterize and quantitate the specific accumulation of transferred CD8+ T cells in tumor tissue in a mouse model. Transgenic CD8+ T cells, specific for the ovalbumin peptide SIINFEKL, were adoptively transferred to recipients carrying a subcutaneous tumor of the ovalbumin-expressing malignant melanoma cell line B16-OVA. The number of SIINFEKL-specific CD8+ cells in the tumor tissue was determined by flow cytometry each day for 8 consecutive days after adoptive transfer. From low levels 1 day after injection, their number gradually increased until day 5 when an average of 3.3x10(6) SIINFEKL-specific cells per gram tumor tissue was found. By applying the combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging technique we were able to determine the position of the transferred, 124I-labeled SIINFEKL-specific T cells in 3 dimensions in recipient mice, and could demonstrate a highly significant accumulation of the 124I label in and around the subcutaneous B16-OVA tumors compared with normal tissue. Accumulation of 124I was significantly higher in B16-OVA than in B16 tumors not expressing the OVA antigen.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Aarhus, The Bartholin Building, Denmark. agger@immunology.au.dk
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agger
authors.forename: Mikkel S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Charlotte C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Søren B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stødkilde-Jørgensen
authors.forename: Ulrik
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Skands
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blankenstein
authors.forename: Tom E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Egil F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Hulgaard
authors.forename: Jan T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marqversen
authors.forename: Hans J G
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gundersen
authors.forename: Marianne E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hokland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D016201:Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D004527:Egg Proteins; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; C110366:OVA-8; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016201:Receptors, Lymphocyte Homing; D010047:Ovalbumin