Two new studies try to explain how using magnetic particles is beneficial in improving the targeted delivery of transplanted stem cells.

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Citation: Yanai, A.; Häfeli, U. O.; Metcalfe, A. L.; Soema, P.; Addo, L.; Gregory-Evans, C. Y.; Po, K.; Shan, X.; Moritz, O. L.; Gregory-Evans, K. Focused Magnetic Stem Cell Targeting to the Retina Using Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles. Cell Transplant. 21(6):1137-1148; 2012.
The cardiac stem cell, said researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, represents a promising candidate for regenerating the injured myocardium, the place where they reside. However, because of cyclical cardiac contraction, 'venous washout' is a factor that causes extremely low cell retention and undermines the potential beneficial impact of cell transplantation."Because the efficiency of intracoronary stem cell transplantation is limited by low cell retention, we sought to improve cell retention by magnetic targeting," said study lead author Dr. Eduardo Marban.The researchers injected cardiac stem cells labeled with iron microspheres into the left ventricular cavity of syngenic rats during brief aortic clamping. After 24 hours, they found that placement of a magnet above the heart during and after injection enhanced cell retention by over five-fold. "The success of cell therapy relies on effective delivery to the desired region," explained Dr. Marban. "In the heart, cardiac contraction results in substantial cell loss during and after cell delivery. We found that magnetic attraction can focus iron-tagged therapeutic agents within a target region as we successfully used magnetism to counteract venous washout and improve cell retention in the contracting heart."Contact: Dr. Eduardo Marban, MD, PhD, Cedars of Sinai Heart Institute, 8700 Beverly Blvd., 1090 Davis Research Building, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
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Citation: Cheng, K.; Malliaras, K.; Li, T.-S.; Sun, B.; Houde, C.; Galang, G.; Smith, J.; Matsushita, N.; Marbán, E. Magnetic Enhancement of Cell Retention, Engraftment, and Functional Benefit After Intracoronary Delivery of Cardiac-Derived Stem Cells in a Rat Model of Ischemia/Reperfusion. Cell Transplant. 21(6):1121-1135; 2012.
Source-Eurekalert