Imaging in Stem Cell Transplant and Cell-based Therapy

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Table 6.1 Advantages and disadvantages of different techniques commonly used for the evaluation
of myeloma tumor burden in laboratory mice

Modality/technique Advantages Disadvantages

ELISA (hIg) • Cost effective

• Quantitative


• Prognostic marker for the disease


• Historical use/validated


• Sophisticated equipment not
  required


• Pre- and post-treatment
  assessment
  
  
  • Labor intensive
  
  
  • Involve multiple bleeding of
    mice
  
  
  • Usually done at the end of the
    experiment after establishing
    baseline before starting therapy
  
  
  
  

Radiography • Easy accessibility

• Cost effective


• Historical use/validated
  
  
  • Poor sensitivity
  
  
  • Limited to bony defects
  
  
  • Early events are not evident
  
  
  • Captures only advanced bone
    damage –Possible need for
    repeat images
    Bioluminescence
    imaging (BLI)
  
  
  
  


• Wide applicability


• Simultaneously monitor several
  molecular events


• Relatively inexpensive


• Amenable to smaller research
  laboratories


• Requires genetic manipulation
  of investigated cells


• Challenging to transfect
  primary tumor cells


• Provides limited anatomical
  information


• Reduced sensitivity with
  increased imaging depth
  MRI • No radiation exposure


• Lesion number has prognostic
  significance


• Images extra medulary disease
  (EMD)


• High spatial resolution


• Good soft tissue contrast


• Provides both anatomical and
  functional information


• Long acquisition time


• High cost


• Requires expensive equipment


• Low sensitivity


• Interference with metal objects/
  identification chips (generally
  used in small animals)


• Over-representation of osteolytic
  lesions – Bone infiltration may
  be misinterpreted as osteolytic
  lesion


• Limited imaging field, subject
  to motion artifact
  FDG-PET • High sensitivity


• Provides biochemical
  information


• Three-dimensional imaging


• Monitor changes in tumor
  metabolism and drug
  biodistribution


• Prognostic significance pre- and
  post-treatment


• Novel radioisotopes may offer
  additional disease- relevant
  information


• High cost


• Limited availability, requires
  specialized equipment


• Limited anatomical information


• Relatively long acquisition time


• Requires radio-nucleotide
  facilities

6 MRI & PET for Evaluation of Myeloma in SCID-hu Mice