The present invention provides oxygenized nanobubbles and their uses in imaging and cancer treatment when combined with therapeutic drugs and precise ultrasound beam steering.

The present disclosure relates to a method of imaging, involving administration of a bi-phasic formulation followed by application of high frequency sound waves to identify a region of interest. Following identification, a phase shift of the bi-phasic formulation may be activated by a second administration of high frequency sound waves such that gaseous components of the bi-phasic formulation are enlarged and localised at the region of interest.

The presently disclosed subject matter provides agents, compositions, and methods for augmenting ablation of a target tissue in a subject in need thereof, for example, using agents that modulate protective and/or reparative cellular processes induced in target tissue by application of ablative energy to the target tissue to sensitize the target tissue to the ablative energy. The presently disclosed subject matter further provides methods for augmenting radiofrequency ablation of cardiac tissue, for example, by applying radiofrequency energy to ablate cardiac tissue in the presence of metallic nanoparticles magnetically guided to the cardiac tissue.

Cancer treatment methods using thermotherapy and/or enhanced immunotherapy are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method comprising the steps of administering a plurality of nanoparticles to target a tumor in a patient, the nanoparticles being coated with an antitumor antibody, cell penetrating peptides (CPPs), and a polymer, and the nanoparticles containing medication and/or gene, and a dye or indicator in the polymer coating, at least some of the nanoparticles attaching to surface antigens of tumor cells so as to form a tumor cell/nanoparticle complex; exciting the nanoparticles using an ultrasound source generating an ultrasonic wave so as to peel off the polymer coating of the nanoparticles, thereby releasing the dye or indicator into the circulation of the patient and the medication and/or gene at the tumor site; and imaging a body region of the patient so as to detect the dye or indicator released into the circulation of the patient.

A method of delivery of an ultrasound-guided drug-loaded microbubble, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium are provided. The method includes: emitting a first ultrasonic signal by utilizing an array transducer, to break a drug-loaded microbubble in a current breaking region; emitting a second ultrasonic signal by utilizing the array transducer, to obtain an ultrasound image; identifying a contour of a blood vessel of the breaking region based on the ultrasound image; and updating a characteristic parameter of the breaking region based on the contour of the blood vessel. According to the method, the breaking region is updated in real time based on the contour of the blood vessel, so that delivery accuracy of a drug-loaded microbubble is improved, and avoiding unnecessary tissue damage.

Disclosed are a composition for ultrasound contrast agent, an ultrasound contrast agent, and a preparation method thereof. The composition for ultrasound contrast agent includes a lipid, a stabilizer and an acoustic-induced deformation material; relative to 100 parts by weight of the lipid, the content of the stabilizer is 20 to 100 parts by weight, and the content of the acoustic-induced deformation material is 1 to 15 parts by weight; and the acoustic-induced deformation material is deformed under a specific acoustic wave, and the characteristic response frequency of the acoustic-induced deformation material is 0.01 MHz to 50 MHz. The microbubble ultrasound contrast agent has better stability, thereby it circulates in vivo for a longer time, and has lower mechanical index, so that the inertial cavitation occurs under a low-energy ultrasonic wave.

Provided are compositions, products of manufacture, kits and methods for remotely-controlled and non-invasive manipulation of intracellular nucleic acid expression, genetic processes, function and activity in live cells such as T cells in vivo, for activating, adding functions or changing or adding specificities for immune cells, for monitoring physiologic processes, for the correction of pathological processes and for the control of therapeutic outcomes. Provided are ultrasound-based stimulations and a heat-sensitive activation of proteins caused by the activation of polypeptides controlled by heat shock protein promoters to control the production of intracellular nucleic acid and gene expression, for example, for the expression of biological-active proteins such as T cell receptors, for example, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Thermogenetic systems as provided herein can be based on ultrasound and/or heat, allowing a deep penetration of stimulation and manipulation in vivo at centimeter-level depth with high spatiotemporal precision.

In one aspect, photoactive compositions are described herein for targeted or selective delivery of therapeutic agents to diseased tissue and/or diseased sites within a patient. A photoactive composition comprises a membrane-based carrier and a photoactivated lytic component coupled to the membrane-based carrier, the photoactivated lytic component comprising a lysing agent and photolabile lytic blocking agent.

A method of producing lipid-based micro/nano bubbles includes steps of (a) preparing a lipid mixture including one or more first lipids with different phase transition temperature, and a second lipid bonding with a hydrophilic polymer moiety or molecules capable of getting across a lipid membrane and decreasing van der Waals forces between lipid bilayers; (b) emulsifying the lipid mixture with a solvent, to form a transparent lipid carrier solution; (c) placing the transparent lipid carrier solution in a closed vessel with halo-substituted hydrocarbon; (d) manipulating temperature of the transparent lipid carrier solution to be close to a main phase transition temperature thereof; and (e) agitating in a mechanical manner the vessel containing the transparent lipid carrier solution to form micro/nano bubbles within the closed vessel. This method contributes to form micro/nano bubbles with desired diameters in a way of optimal material utilization efficiency.

The invention relates to an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) comprising an outer shell and a gas core. The gas core is filled with oxygen, and the outer shell comprises a first surfactant and a second surfactant. The invention also relates to a method of making an oxygen-filled UCA and delivering oxygen to a local area of a subject's body. The method comprises injecting a composition comprising an oxygen-filled UCA of the invention into the subject's body; directing ultrasound radiation to the local area in an intensity sufficient to rupture the UCA.