Compositions and methods for assessing inflammation in a subject. The present disclosure provides compositions for labeling leukocytes with a 19F-containing perfluoropolyether molecule ex vivo. In some examples, the leukocytes are obtained from the patient, enriched in a whole blood fraction, and then labeled. The labeled cells may be re-introduced into the patient. The leukocytes may accumulate at a site of inflammation, thus permitting non-invasive evaluation of inflammation in patients. The present methods provide a tool for assessing inflammation in a wide variety of autoimmune diseases and may have particular utility in intestinal diseases such as Crohns disease, ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardio myositis.
