Cancer treatment methods using thermotherapy and/or enhanced immunotherapy are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method comprising the steps of: (i) applying controlled thermal energy at 40-43° C. for a first predetermined time period to damage and weaken tumor cells of a tumor in a patient; (ii) administering pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (pHIFU) in a first ultrasound mode to the tumor cells in the patient so as to damage the tumor cells without increasing the thermal energy; and (iii) administering low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) in a second ultrasound mode to further damage the tumor cells at a temperature of 39-43° C. for a second predetermined time period while performing observation of the tumor cells by ultrasonic thermometry.

The presently disclosed drug-loaded liposomal conjugated to polymer microbubbles showed: i) increased tumor drug concentration; ii) reduced tumor growth; and ii) increased survival time in a mouse cancer model when exposed to concurrent high and low acoustic pressure ultrasonic pulses as compared to individual high or low acoustic pressure ultrasonic pulses. Notably, when unconjugated drug-loaded liposome were administered with free microbubbles and exposed to concurrent high and low acoustic pressure ultrasonic pulses, a superior tumor growth inhibition was also seen. Three weeks after treatments, DoxLPX+US group showed significantly better left ventricular function indices from echocardiography imaging than the free Dox group. Clinical methods using these liposomal conjugated microbubbles permit an increased therapeutic drug delivery and improved safety profile, respectively due to enhanced, preferential drug accumulation in target tumor tissue and simultaneously reduced drug delivery to non-target tissue.

This invention relates generally to methods for increasing bioactivity of lunasin in liquid formulations, sonicated bioactive lunasin compositions and methods of using sonicated bioactive lunasin. More specifically, this invention relates to methods of increasing bioactivity of lunasin in liquid formulations by administering sonication. One embodiment the present invention provides a method of increasing the bioactivity of lunasin comprising: a) providing a composition comprising lunasin, b) putting said composition into solution, and c) administering sonication to the composition.

A catheter comprises an elongated carrier and a balloon carried by the carrier in sealed relation thereto. The balloon has an outer surface and is arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon. The catheter further comprises a shock wave generator within the balloon that forms mechanical shock waves within the balloon, and a medicinal agent carried on the outer surface of the balloon. The medicinal agent is releasable from the balloon either before or in response to the shock wave.

Provided herein are nanoparticle-lipid composite carriers as theranostic agents, particularly for diagnosis and/or treatment of cancers and related diseases and conditions. In particular embodiments, the carrier composites comprise a lipid core and an outer shell of functionalized nanoparticles (fNPs).

A system for reducing toxicity from intravascular triggered drug delivery includes a chamber comprising an inflow port, an outflow port, and a filter positioned upstream of the outflow port. A trigger module is configured to trigger the release of a drug from an intravascular triggered drug delivery system present in blood in the chamber. A method for reducing toxicity from intravascular triggered drug delivery includes the steps of removing blood comprising an intravascular triggered drug delivery system from a patient's vascular system and delivering the blood to a chamber, applying a trigger to the blood to release a drug from the intravascular triggered drug delivery system, filtering the drug from the blood, and returning the filtered blood to the patient.

In alternative embodiments, provided are compositions, including products of manufacture and kits, and methods, for remotely-controlled and non-invasive manipulation of intracellular nucleic acid expression, genetic processes, function and activity in live cells, e.g., adding functions or changing or adding specificities for immune cells, for monitoring physiologic processes, for the correction of pathological processes and for control of therapeutic outcomes. In alternative embodiments, provided are ultrasound-based thermal or mechanical stimulations, and thermo- or mechano-sensitive protein, either synthetically engineered or natively (endogenously) occurring, integrated to control the production of intracellular nucleic acid and gene expression, e.g., for the expression of biological-active proteins, which can be used, in alternative embodiments, for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. In alternative embodiments, exemplary thermo- and mechanogenetic systems provided herein allow a deep penetration of stimulation and manipulation in vivo at centimeter-level depth with high spatiotemporal precision.

Provided are a method for preparing liposomes comprising ultrasound reactive microbubbles for drug delivery, comprising (a) a step of producing ultrasound reactive microbubbles comprising an inert gas therein and having a first shell formed on the outer surface thereof, followed by forming a uniform size distribution of the ultrasound reactive microbubbles through an extruder; and (b) a step of producing liposomes comprising the ultrasound reactive microbubbles distributed in a uniform size and a medicament therein and having a second shell formed on the outer surface thereof, followed by forming a uniform size distribution of the liposomes through an extruder; and a liposome using same.

The present invention is a new controlled drug system that can be used for targeting non-invasive neuromodulation enabled by focused ultrasound gated release of one or more small molecule neuromodulatory agents.

Use of a suspension of gas-filled microbubbles comprising a fatty acids di-ester of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a pegylated phos-phatidylethanolamines (PE-PEG) and a fatty acid in a therapeutic method, wherein said suspension is administered as subsequent boluses.