Imaging techniques to evaluate cell therapy in peripheral artery disease: state of the art and clinical trials.
Cell-based therapies, as potential approach to cure peripheral artery disease (PAD), have been clinically investigated after promising results in preclinical models. The so far published studies are very heterogeneous, as different cell sources, cell types, amounts of administered cells and delivering strategies have been used. Overall, cell therapies for PAD bring about a general improvement of patient's clinical condition, even though conclusions cannot be established due to the small size and non-randomized design of these trials. In this context, non-invasive imaging techniques, aimed to monitor angiogenesis and neovascularization after cell therapy, will help the follow-up of clinical studies. However, still much work is needed to establish advanced imaging procedure to overcome the limitation of the current techniques and to accumulate more data in large populations of patients. Here, we report the main imaging techniques employed to evaluate the outcome of the different cell-based therapies in PAD. Moreover, we focus on both published and ongoing clinical trials utilizing cell therapy in PAD.
U.O.C. Division of Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology [SIMT], Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology [LIT], Azienda Universitaria Policlinico (AOU), Second University of Naples (SUN), Naples, Italy.
Vincenzo
V
Grimaldi
Institute of Diagnostic and Nuclear Development (SDN) IRCCS, Naples, Italy.
Concetta
C
Schiano
Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and General Pathology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
Amelia
A
Casamassimi
Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy.|CEINGE, Advanced Biotechnologies, Naples, Italy.
Alberto
A
Zullo
Institute of Diagnostic and Nuclear Development (SDN) IRCCS, Naples, Italy.
Andrea
A
Soricelli
Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy.
Francesco Paolo
FP
Mancini
U.O.C. Division of Immunohematology, Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Immunology [SIMT], Regional Reference Laboratory of Transplant Immunology [LIT], Azienda Universitaria Policlinico (AOU), Second University of Naples (SUN), Naples, Italy.|Institute of Diagnostic and Nuclear Development (SDN) IRCCS, Naples, Italy.
Claudio
C
Napoli
D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D058948:Cell Tracking / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
cell therapy; clinical trials; imaging techniques; peripheral artery disease; regenerative medicine; stem cells