Magnetic resonance imaging of cells in experimental disease models

Some of the recent advances in non-invasive cell detection that have significantly expanded the researcher's collection for monitoring the basic unit of life in its native or diseased context is presented. Exogenous bioengineered and non-mammalian factors have greatly facilitated non-invasive detection of cells in mammals. The most widely applied factors for non-invasive imaging studies consist of (super)paramagnetic metal ions, positron emitters, gamma radiation-emitting radionuclides, and low-energy photons generated by luciferase activity for MR, PET, SPECT, and BLI, respectively. MR scanners measure the harmless response of the proton in water, fat, and other endogenous biomolecules to applied radio waves in a strong homogenous magnetic field. MR microscopy is most commonly performed on cultured cells or preserved tissue samples in the absence of time constraints associated with MR imaging of living subjects.