Year 4/NCE

We have made good progress during this 6-month extension period. This project involves four separate scientific teams, brought together for the first time for this project, representing diverse backgrounds ranging from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) physics and cell tracking (Dr. Rutt), microbiology (Dr. Matin), nano and magnetic characterization (Dr. Moler) and imaging reporter development and testing in small animal models of disease (Dr. Contag). Substantial progress has been made by all four teams, and we have benefited from important interactions between all teams in this third year.
An overall summary of progress is that we evaluated several iron-binding bacterial genes (magA, mamB, mms6, mms13), singly, doubly and triply, in several mammalian cell lines (MDA-MB-231BR, DAOY, COS1, 293FT). In year 3 as well as through the extension period, we succeeded in finding substantial iron uptake in cells containing certain expressed genes, notably mms13 by itself, as well as combinations of mms13 with mms6 and mamB.
We completed the development of our higher field, higher sensitivity MR imaging methods and evaluated the sensitivity gains enabled at the higher magnetic field strength of 7 Tesla (the highest magnetic field widely available for human MRI).
Finally, we demonstrated novel nanomagnetic methods to characterize our reporter cells, able to characterize magnetic properties down to the single cell level.