Targeted delivery of neural stem cells to the brain using MRI-guided focused ultrasound to disrupt the blood-brain barrier.

ABSTRACT: Stem cell therapy is a promising strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, and stroke. For stem cells to progress towards clinical use, the risks associated with invasive intracranial surgery used to deliver the cells to the brain, needs to be reduced. Here, we show that MRI-guided focused ultrasound (MRIgFUS) is a novel method for non-invasive delivery of stem cells from the blood to the brain by opening the blood brain barrier (BBB) in specific brain regions. We used MRI guidance to target the ultrasound beam thereby delivering the iron-labeled, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing neural stem cells specifically to the striatum and the hippocampus of the rat brain. Detection of cellular iron using MRI established that the cells crossed the BBB to enter t

SUBMITTER: Burgess A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3218061 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature