Large-Scale European Project Initiated for Imaging in Stem Cell Therapy Research

An international research group from 10 countries is planning to develop imaging technologies and methods in the field of cell therapy.

The European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR; Vienna, Austria) has taken over the coordination of a European large-scale research project. The project, entitled ENCITE (European Network for Cell Imaging and Tracking Expertise), began on June 1, 2008.

Currently, there is no single imaging modality that meets the requirements of stem cell therapy. However, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has huge potential in this regard. Moreover, other imaging methods, particularly optical imaging, will be considered in the course of the project. Within the framework of the project, new MRI imaging techniques and biomarkers will be developed and evaluated to get a more comprehensive outlook of cell fate and the reaction of the immune system. Ultimately, these are planned to be applied in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

The project is supported by a financial contribution of EUR 11 million within the European Commission's seventh Framework Program. EIBIR was founded in January 2006 and is a nonprofit organization with more than 200 member institutions from 27 countries. As the project develops, further highly qualified partners will be needed to contribute either research or dissemination and training activities for the newly developed methods. In order to find these partners, a Competitive Call will be launched in the project ENCITE in autumn 2008.


Related Links:
European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research