Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42063132›Full record

ArticleBMC biotechnology2026

Gas vesicle-expressing human pluripotent stem cells enable multimodal ultrasound and optical coherence tomographic imaging.

John Kim, Alessandro R Howells, Sumin Park, Xueding Wang, Chengzhi Shi, Xiaojun Lance Lian

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Endothelial Continuum and Capillary Specialization in Pulmonary Vascular Development.Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology · 2026
    Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

John Kim *Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Alessandro R Howells *Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Sumin Park *Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Xueding WangDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Chengzhi ShiDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. czshi@umich.edu.
Xiaojun Lance LianDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. lian@psu.edu.

Funding

NIH HHS R01-EY034325NIH HHS R01-HL175050NIH HHS R56-DK133147
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Genetically encoded imaging reporters are critical tools for tracking cell fate and function in regenerative medicine. Gas vesicles (GVs), air-filled protein nanostructures derived from bacteria, offer unique advantages for noninvasive imaging due to their acoustic and optical properties. In this study, we engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to express GVs using a doxycycline (Dox)-inducible system. Stable GV expression was achieved by TALEN-mediated knock-in of the GvpNtoV cassette at the GAPDH locus together with PiggyBac GvpA integration driven by transposase, followed by antibiotic selection to isolate correctly modified clones. Upon Dox treatment, GVs formed intracellularly and enabled enhanced contrast in both ultrasound and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Dynamic ultrasound imaging revealed pressure-dependent GV buckling and harmonic signal generation, while OCT imaging confirmed high sensitivity and depth-resolved detection in both in vitro and ex vivo retinal models. Our work establishes a multimodal GV-based reporter platform compatible with human stem cells and clinically relevant imaging modalities. This approach offers a powerful and versatile tool for noninvasively visualizing and tracking therapeutic cells in real time, advancing the development and monitoring of cell-based therapies.

Indexed as

Pluripotent Stem CellsTomography, Optical CoherenceDoxycyclineHumansUltrasonographyDoxycyclineGas vesiclesHuman pluripotent stem cellsOptical coherence tomographic imagingUltrasound imaging

Identifiers

PMID42063132
PMCPMC13274054

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.