Molecular imaging agents for ultrasound

Zlitni, Aimen; Gambhir, Sanjiv S.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.03.017

Cited by 65 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the use of CEUS for quantification of tissue perfusion in general, as well as organ‐specific applications, advantages, and limitations. Aside from perfusion imaging, CEUS has been applied in clinical practice for visualizing specific anatomical structures, for molecular imaging and used as therapeutic agent to allow site‐specific drug delivery . However, these applications of CEUS have been extensively reviewed elsewhere and are beyond the scope of this review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound for quantification of tissue perfusion in humans

Emanuel¹,

Meijer²,

Poelgeest

et al. 2019

Microcirculation

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Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound is an imaging technique that can be used to quantify microvascular blood volume and blood flow of vital organs in humans. It relies on the use of microbubble contrast agents and ultrasound‐based imaging of microbubbles. Over the past decades, both ultrasound contrast agents and experimental techniques to image them have rapidly improved, as did experience among investigators and clinicians. However, these improvements have not yet resulted in uniform guidelines for CEUS when it comes to quantification of tissue perfusion in humans, preventing its uniform and widespread use in research settings. The objective of this review is to provide a methodological overview of CEUS and its development, the influences of hardware and software settings, type and dosage of ultrasound contrast agent, and method of analysis on CEUS‐derived perfusion data. Furthermore, we will discuss organ‐specific imaging challenges, advantages, and limitations of CEUS.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound for quantification of tissue perfusion in humans

Emanuel¹,

Meijer²,

Poelgeest

et al. 2019

Microcirculation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…However, its resolution is poor, at least if one wants to visualize microscopic structures (Ng and Swanevelder 2011). The main problem is a low signal-to-noise ratio due to scattering, which is currently sought out to be improved by employing so-called echogenic contrast agents that may serve as signal amplifiers (Zlitni and Gambhir 2018). Other methods with similar strengths and weaknesses are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic particle imaging (MPI) (Weizenecker et al 2009).…”

Section: R92mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm-hybrid micromotors: on-board assistance for nature’s bustling swimmers

2020

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Sperm cells that cannot swim and orient properly compromise male fertility. Such defects are responsible for male infertility regardless of the actual quality of the most important content, the sperm’s DNA. Synthetic micromotors are engineered devices that are able to swim in (body) fluids and microscopic environments, similar to flagellated cells like sperm. Coupled together, a sperm-hybrid micromotor embodies the concept of bringing the sperm cell together with artificial components that assist or replace defective functions of the cell, helping it to pursue its goal without interfering with its health, enabling the process of assisted fertilization and further embryo development all inside the body. Non-invasive, remote-controlled in vivo applicability is the key quality of such hybrid microdevices. Assisted reproduction with the help of micromotors is in the focus of this review, although other biomedical applications that arise from the powerful combination of sperm cell and synthetic enhancement are also discussed and summarized. Details are provided about different fabrication processes and cell-material coupling strategies, and the way from proof-of-concept studies to in vivo experiments in animals is outlined.

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“…The application of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) enhances the ultrasound signal and further improves the accuracy of diagnosis. The UCAs used in clinics are typically gasfilled micron-sized bubbles (MBs) with a diameter of 1-8 μm and a limited in vivo circulation time, so these MBs cannot extravasate beyond the vasculature [2]. It has been reported that nano-scaled particles can extravasate beyond the vasculature and passively accumulate in the tumor microenvironment via enhanced permeation and retention (EPR).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The advancements in nanomedicine resulted in a rapid development of echogenic and biocompatible nano UCAS (nUCAs) (50-600 nm) with promising physical properties. These particles are composed of a phospholipid-based shell and/or polymer-based shell and a solid, liquid, or gas core [2]. Among various nUCAs, nanodroplets (NDs) have attracted a lot of attention due to their unique phase transition properties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Targeted Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy Based on Ultrasound-Responsive Nanodroplets

Li¹,

Liu²,

Duan³

et al. 2020

Advanced Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Therapy

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The ultrasound contrast agents currently used in clinics are microbubbles with a large particle size and short circulation time, and their approved clinical applications are limited to endovascular diagnosis and therapy only. The development of ultrasound-responsive nanodroplets (NDs) provides a new approach for extravascular diagnosis and therapy, especially for molecular imaging and targeted therapy of tumors. The NDs with a nano-scaled particle size and a liquid core can maintain their shape and initial diameter during injection, enhancing their EPR effects and facilitating the accumulation of NDs at the tumor site. When exposed to ultrasound, NDs can vaporize and exhibit contrast enhancement at the sites of interest. In addition, the destruction of microbubbles can provide a driving force to facilitate the release of drugs or genes from the microbubbles into target cells, allowing the NDs to act as drug carriers. The development of ultrasound-responsive NDs has shown rapid progress in recent years, while a variety of NDs with excellent properties have been fabricated for targeted diagnosis and drug delivery. In this article, the development of ultrasound-responsive NDs was reviewed in terms of their structure, phase transition properties, and applications in targeted tumor diagnosis and therapy.

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Molecular imaging agents for ultrasound

Cited by 65 publications

References 51 publications

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound for quantification of tissue perfusion in humans

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound for quantification of tissue perfusion in humans

Sperm-hybrid micromotors: on-board assistance for nature’s bustling swimmers

Advances in Targeted Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy Based on Ultrasound-Responsive Nanodroplets

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