Development of Ultrasound Microbubbles and Phase Shift Microbubbles in Theranostics

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Microbubbles (MB) are crucial for diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound.
• Controlled size, concentration, biocompatibility, and stability are essential for biomedical MB.
• Fluorinated gases and lipids are key components in MB development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the roles and advancements of microbubbles in ultrasound diagnostics and therapy.
• To explore the potential of Phase Shift Microbubbles (PSMB) for targeted treatments.
• To discuss novel theranostic platforms combining diagnostics and therapy.

Main Methods:

• Development of lipid-stabilized microbubbles and Phase Shift Microbubbles (PSMB).
• Utilizing fluorocarbon gases for MB formulation.
• Investigating PSMB for enhanced vascular permeation and therapeutic effects like sonolysis and tumor ablation.

Main Results:

• Lipid-based systems effectively stabilize MB and PSMB.
• PSMB demonstrate ability to reform from nanodroplets upon ultrasound application.
• PSMB show potential for improved drug delivery and tumor ablation due to their small size.

Conclusions:

• Lipid-based systems offer robust stabilization for MB and PSMB.
• Novel theranostic platforms using lipids and fluorocarbon gases are under development.
• Microbubbles and nanobubbles have potential applications in oxygen delivery.