European Network for Cell Imaging and Tracking Expertise (ENCITE)

Grunddaten zu diesem Projekt

Art des Projektes: EU-Projekt koordiniert außerhalb der Universität Münster
Laufzeit: 01.06.2008 - 30.11.2012

Beschreibung

ENCITE - European Network for Cell Imaging and Tracking Expertise - consists of 29 project partners from 10 countries with leading expertise in the field of cell imaging, with EIBIR as the coordinating partner. The 4-year project started in June 2008 and is supported by the European Commission with a financial contribution of €12m. Objectives Cell therapy can be defined as the transplantation of living cells for the treatment of medical disorders. Three different principles underlie the increasing interest in cell therapy: Transplanted cells used as an ‘active drug' Transplanted cells used to replace damaged and degenerated tissue. Cells used as a drug delivery vehicle. Promising results have been obtained in pre-clinical and clinical studies, but success rates have been variable and clinical benefits have been limited. A major issue is the fact that the mechanisms by which cell therapy works in the different disease areas are still poorly understood. The ability to non-invasively monitor the fate and modes of action of transplanted cells over time is mandatory. In order to address the needs of the call and to address a significantly wide variety of cell therapies, horizontal (generic) and vertical (specific) subprojects within the ENCITE project comprise the following objectives: New imaging methods to improve the spatio-temporal tracking of labelled cells Dual- and multimodality imaging procedures to cross-validate each individual approach New contrast agents and procedures that will improve the sensitivity and specificity of cellular labelling Combining of molecular biology for the generation of molecular and cellular imaging reporters with multimodal imaging techniques The development of relevant imaging tools will lead to a better understanding of how cell therapy works, the possibility of response monitoring in patients and sufficient safety of the treatment. Contribution from WWU (Experimental MR group) The group contributes work on MR methodology to facilitate identification of distinct cell populations in vivo, with a particular focus on positive contrast cell imaging.

Stichwörter: Molekulare Bildgebung; Zell-tracking; MRT; Bildgebung