title: In vivo cell tracking via ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose labeling: a review of the preclinical and clinical applications in cell-based diagnosis and therapy.
abstract: The rising interest in using functional cells for diagnosis and treatment has created an urgent need for in vivo cell-tracking techniques. Certain advanced techniques, such as those involving reporter genes or nanoparticles, are still awaiting confirmation of their safety and feasibility in human patients. Tracking cells by labeling them with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose, a tracer clinically used in positron emission tomography (PET), may be one way to rapidly translate some of these principles from bench to bedside. The preliminary results are exciting, although further development, optimization, and validation are required. Here, several applications of the technique are surveyed: finding inflammatory foci, targeting cancer immunotherapies, tracking transplanted islet cells, and monitoring cardiac stem cells. Advantages, limitations, and prospects of the technique are discussed. These early experiences only highlight the existing need to improve cell-labeling techniques using PET tracers. This method may finally lead to the development of effective and convenient methods for clinical cell-tracking techniques involving PET/computed tomography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
authors.forename: Chenxi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Guotao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Ximin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058948:Cell Tracking / Q000379:methods*; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18