Dr Mangala Srinivas, from the Multiscale Imaging Lab, discusses some of the challenges facing cell therapies and how they might be overcome.
Cell therapy’ – the very name conjures the ability to regenerate ripped spinal cords, replace damaged tissue in the brain or in the heart, and eventually perhaps bring humanity closer to immortality. The near-miraculous public expectations of cell therapies have led to an underground stem cell tourism market, sometimes with disastrous consequences for these unregulated, dubious procedures.
Non-invasive imaging could be a solution
Clinical non-invasive imaging modalities include ultrasound, computed tomography (CT, which uses X-rays), single photon emission tomography (SPECT, which needs a radioactive tracer), positron emission tomography (PET, which needs a radioactive tracer), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, which does not use ionising radiation, although contrast agents are often used).
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