Bifunctional Labeling of Rabbit Mesenchymal Stem Cells for MR Imaging and Fluorescence Microscopy

Purpose Longitudinal imaging studies are important in the translational process of stem cell–based therapies. Small animal imaging models are widely available and practical but insufficiently depict important morphologic detail. In contrary, large animal models are logistically challenging and costly but offer greater imaging quality. In order to combine the advantages of both, we developed an intermediate-sized rabbit animal model for cartilage imaging studies.