Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of California, San Diego received a $547,285 Project Grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286) to develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for tracking regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy in transplant models. The award, effective May 1, 2026 through March 31, 2030, supports research to overcome a critical limitation in adoptive cell therapy monitoring: current cell-tracking approaches require labor-intensive labeling protocols using exogenous contrast agents that may compromise cell viability and limit clinical scalability.

The research delivers a novel technological solution by leveraging magnetic microbeads already used in Treg purification processes to generate proton MRI contrast, eliminating the need for separate labeling steps and external agents. This approach will be validated through preclinical models and ex vivo human transplant studies to assess treatment efficacy and optimize therapeutic strategies for promoting graft tolerance. By providing radiation-free, high-resolution cell tracking capabilities suitable for clinical translation, the project addresses a significant gap in biomedical imaging technology for immunomodulatory cell therapies, potentially improving long-term outcomes for the over 48,000 solid organ transplant recipients in the United States annually.