ISMRM WORKSHOP SERIES ~ 09-11 October 2015

ISMRM Workshop on MRI Cell Tracking for Visualizing Cellular Therapeutics & Inflammation
La Jolla, CA, USA
 

OVERVIEW

This meeting will tentatively be affiliated with the ISMRM Molecular and Cellular MRI Study Group. It will serve as a progress-report in the field of MRI cell tracking that builds on two previous workshops on the same topic that were sponsored by the ISMRM; these were held in 2007 "Cruising into Molecular and Cellular MRI” and in 2012 “MRI-Based Cell Tracking”.

The workshop will feature invited scientific presentations, proffered speakers, and a poster session.
This interdisciplinary meeting will cover all aspects of MRI cell tracking with emphasis on preclinical work and progress in clinical translation.

Specific topics will include the chemical synthesis, formulation and in vitro characterization of novel cell probes, biological applications in various diseases, image acquisition methods, image processing, quantification of cell tracking data, and clinical-regulatory issues. Additionally, in order to focus the workshop’s discussions on the needs and current barriers facing clinician-scientists, we will have lectures from thought leaders in the emerging fields of stem cell therapy and cell-based immunotherapy. These are key areas where MRI cell tracking will make an impact in the coming years.
 

TARGET AUDIENCE
There will be a broad international audience for this conference including a number of attendees anticipated from the San Diego region. Participants will include MRI physicists, chemists, biomedical engineers, molecular-cell biologists, stem cell biologists, immunologists, and physicians. Attendees will be from both academia and industry. Many of the attendees will be from the region. The SCRM houses investigators and laboratories from nearby UCSD; the Salk Institute for Biological Studies; the Sanford- Burnham Medical Institute; The Scripps Research Institute; and the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. In addition, the San Diego region has over 300 pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies. Junior trainees, including advanced undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and medical residents are encouraged to attend. Attendance will be limited to 125 participants.
 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
  • Explain the scientific and clinical rationale, practical uses, and limitations of MRI cell tracking;
  • Review the basic imaging probe compositions, e.g., various nanoparticles and small molecules, available for cell tracking and inflammation detection;
  • Summarize DNA-based MRI reporters for cell tracking;
  • Indicate the strengths and weaknesses of various imaging probes for cell labelling;
  • Describe sensitivity and specificity limits of cell detection in vivo;
  • Compare In vivo versus ex vivo cell labelling strategies;
  • Identify safety considerations for cell function post-labelling;
  • Discuss regulatory hurdles facing implementation of clinical MRI cell tracking;
  • Interpret the most recent clinical results employing MRI-based cell tracking; and
  • Explore future avenues for research in the field.