The Stem Cells meet the Physics Big Machines

Stem cell based regenerative therapies involve the administration of selected stem cell populations with the purpose of repairing and regenerating damaged or diseased tissue. Currently available methods of monitoring transplanted cells are quite limited because they have to offer non-destructive strategies capable to identify the location, magnitude, and duration of cellular survival and their fate both at early and late stages. The recent development of imaging techniques offers great potential to address these critical issues by non-invasively tracking the fate of the transplanted cells. This article offers a focused presentation of some examples of the use of imaging techniques connected to the nanotechnological world in research areas related to stem cells. In particular, investigations concerning stem cell treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Infarcted Heart and bone tissue engineering in animal models are discussed