A thermoacoustic imaging method comprises administering a thermoacoustic imaging contrast agent to a subject, the thermoacoustic imaging contrast agent having a viscosity higher than blood and substantially similar to a viscosity of a known computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent; and imaging the subject with a thermoacoustic imaging system. The thermoacoustic imaging contrast agent may comprise an ionic solution and thickening agent mixture, with an optional heating agent. The ionic salt makes 0.5% to 5.0% of the ionic solution by weight and the remainder of the ionic solution is water. The thickening agent makes 3% to 50% of the mixture by weight.

The present invention provides amphiphilic telodendrimers that aggregate to form nanocarriers characterized by a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic exterior. The nanocarrier core may include amphiphilic functionality such as cholic acid or cholic acid derivatives, and the exterior may include branched or linear poly(ethylene glycol) segments. Nanocarrier cargo such as hydrophobic drugs and other materials may be sequester in the core via non-covalent means or may be covalently bound to the telodendrimer building blocks. Telodendrimer structure may be tailored to alter loading properties, interactions with materials such as biological membranes, and other characteristics.

The present invention provides preparations of MSCs with important therapeutic potential. The MSC cells are non-primary cells with an antigen profile comprising less than about 1.25% CD45+ cells (or less than about 0.75% CD45+), at least about 95% CD105+ cells, and at least 95% CD166+ cells. Optionally, MSCs of the present preparations are isogenic and can be expanded ex vivo and cryopreserved and thawed, yet maintain a stable and uniform phenotype. Methods are taught here of expanding these MSCs to produce a clinical scale therapeutic preparations and medical uses thereof.

Disclosed are compositions comprising polymeric nanoparticles and methods of using the same. The polymeric nanopartides can be conjugated with a targeting ligand that is a substrate for a solid tumor-specific cell protein. The polymeric nanoparticles can also comprises an imaging compound and/or a therapeutic agent encapsulated in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoparticle. A cancer therapeutic composition comprising the nanoparticle is also disclosed. The disclosed nanoparticles can be used to target and deliver imaging and/or therapueitc compounds to cancer cells, thereby identifying and/or treating a solid tumor cell target. Methods for treating cancer, such as lung cancer, using the polymeric nanoparticles are also disclosed.

Disclosed is a -cyclodextrin-based star-shaped polymer and a preparation method therefor, and an integrated unimolecular micelle system for diagnosis and treatment based on the star-shaped polymer and the use thereof. The polymer has a structure represented by the following formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein x=4-15, y=3-20, and z=10-30.

A system and method for imaging or treating a disease in a human or animal body. The system provides to the human or animal body a pharmaceutical carrier including one or more phosphors which are capable of emitting ultraviolet or visible light into the body and which provide x-ray contrast. The system includes one or more devices which infuse a diseased site with a photoactivatable drug and the pharmaceutical carrier, an initiation energy source comprising an x-ray or high energy source which irradiates the diseased site with at least one of x-rays, gamma rays, or electrons to thereby initiate emission of said ultraviolet or visible light into the body, and a processor programmed to at least one of 1) produce images of the diseased site or 2) control a dose of said x-rays, gamma rays, or electrons to the diseased site for production of said ultraviolet or visible light at the diseased site to activate the photoactivatable drug.

The present invention provides preparations of MSCs with important therapeutic potential. The MSC cells are non-primary cells with an antigen profile comprising less than about 1.25% CD45+ cells (or less than about 0.75% CD45+), at least about 95% CD105+ cells, and at least about 95% CD166+ cells. Optionally, MSCs of the present preparations are isogenic and can be expanded ex vivo and cryopreserved and thawed, yet maintain a stable and uniform phenotype. Methods are taught here of expanding these MSCs to produce a clinical scale therapeutic preparations and medical uses thereof.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for use in medical diagnosis and patient monitoring, typically in the context of therapy, in particular in the context of oncology, to optimize tumor bed local irradiation. It more particularly relates to a biocompatible gel comprising nanoparticle and/or nanoparticle aggregates, wherein: i) the density of each nanoparticle and of each nanoparticle aggregate is at least 7 g/cm.sup.3, the nanoparticle or nanoparticles of the aggregate comprising an inorganic material comprising at least one metal element having an atomic number Z of at least 25, more preferably of at least 40, each of said nanoparticle and nanoparticle aggregate being covered with a biocompatible coating; ii) the nanoparticles' and/or nanoparticle aggregates' concentration is of at least about 1% (w/w); and iii) the apparent viscosity at 2 s.sup.1 of the gel comprising nanoparticles and/or nanoparticle aggregates is between about 0.1 Pa.Math.s and about 1000 Pa.Math.s when measured between 20 C. and 37 C.

An object is to provide an X-ray contrast agent that is retained in a blood vessel for a predetermined time and then excreted out of the body. The object can be solved by a complex containing a metal nanoparticle and a protein, wherein a metal nanoparticle part in the complex has an average particle size of 1 nm or greater and 5.5 nm or less.

Compounds that are PSMA ligands, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, methods for treating and detecting cancers in a subject, methods for identifying cancer cells in a sample are described herein.