Stem cells therapy molecular tracking — the special focus on nuclear medicine

Background: The purpose of the study was to discuss the role of molecular imaging in stem cells (SCs) therapy and SC tracking with the special focus on nuclear medicine (NM) applications. Materials and methods: A comprehensive analysis of studies published between 2010 and 2025 focusing on the application of molecular imaging in SCs research with the special focus on NM applications. Results: Molecular imaging provides the possibility of tracking SCs in vivo , enabling insights into their biodistribution, viability, and therapeutic efficacy. We observed that the most of the studies discussed the use of the mesenchymal SC, neural SC and cancer SC, presenting the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) methods as the most useful imaging tools for SCs-based therapy monitoring. However, the SCs tracking in itself is a complex issue and, more frequently than not, more than one method is required for the diagnostic protocol to be successful. Depending on the properties of the imaging technique, the different aspect — transplanted SCs biology or the treated tissue’s damage and repair process — might be examined. Conclusions: Molecular imaging plays a central role in SC research, offering non-invasive and dynamic visualization of SC in vivo that ensures the possibility to provide the regenerative and cancer treatment with PET-CT and MRI being the most frequently mentioned in the literature and presenting different advantages in SCs-based therapy monitoring.