STEM-03. FOCAL ENHANCED DELIVERY OF SYSTEMICALLY ADMINISTERED THERAPEUTIC HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS USING MRI-GUIDED DISRUPTION OF THE BBB WITH FOCUSED ULTRASOUND

摘要

INTRODUCTIONPre-clinical interventions to the CNS require direct cranial administration of drugs for relevant therapeutic concentrations since the efficacy of systemic administration is hindered by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We used MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) to deliver primary-patient derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for the first time, with sub-millimeter precision, in preselected areas. This method is a revolutionary way to deliver cellular therapy to delicate or inoperable regions obviating the need for invasive surgical intervention.