Cell-Based Therapy of Myelin Disease Under Imaging Guidance

Piotr Walczak, M.D.Piotr Walczak, M.D.

Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science and Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science and Cellular Imaging Section, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Cellular Imaging Section, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins

University, Baltimore, MD, United States University, Baltimore, MD, United States

Cell Therapy Approach in Myelin Disease

Normal Myelin Myelin DiseaseTransplantation of Stem/Progenitor Cells New Myelin

Normal Myelin (MBP) Dysfunctional Myelin (MBP)

Transplanted Human Oligodendrocyte Precursors(HuNu)

New Myelination by Human Cells (HuNu, MBP)

The Role of Imaging in Developing Cell-Based Therapy of Myelin Disease

• Therapeutic effect depends on:survival, migration, appropriate differentiation, and functional integrationof transplanted cells within the host

• New myelination by grafted cells works well in young, developing recipients but is more challenging in the adult, disease damaged host

• Non-Invasive monitoring is critical for optimization of cell therapy

We monitor survival and differentiation of grafted cells with bioluminescent imaging

We monitor cell delivery, migration and compact myelin

formation with MRI

We monitor axonal conduction with electrophysiology

T2* T2, DTI