The invention relates to a microbubble-chemotherapeutic agent complex comprising a microbubble carrying a combination of chemotherapeutic agents for use in a method of treating cancer in a patient, wherein said combination of chemotherapeutic agents comprises: (a) a 5-fluoropyrimidine or a derivative thereof; (b) irinotecan or a derivative thereof; and (c) a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent or a derivative thereof; and wherein said method comprises simultaneous, separate or sequential administration of folinic acid or a derivative thereof. The invention is particularly suitable for use in the treatment of deep-sited tumours and associated metastatic disease, for example in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The invention further relates to the microbubble- chemotherapeutic agent complexes themselves, to methods for their preparation and to pharmaceutical compositions which contain them, optionally in combination with folinic acid or a folinic acid derivative.

Disclosed herein are photodegradable hydrogels and associated kits for selectively capturing and releasing cells. The hydrogels result from cross linking in the presence of a photoinitiator (1) a macromer having a polymeric backbone structure, a photo labile moiety, and a first linking moiety, and (2) a cell-binding moiety having a second linking moiety. These two components are cross-linked by a polymerization reaction of the linking moieties to form a photodegradable hydrogel incorporating the cell-binding moiety within the hydrogel. Also disclosed are methods of making the hydrogels, and methods of using the hydrogels for selectively capturing and releasing cells and for detecting cells in a fluid. Such methods can be used to detect the presence and quantity of certain rare cell types in a biological fluid.

The present invention provides acoustically activated liposome compositions for use as drug delivery vehicles, and to methods for drug release and drug delivery for therapeutic applications.

A system for delivering a therapeutic agent to cell or tissue of a subject includes a mesoporous silica iron oxide nanoparticle with one or more therapeutic agents that are contained in a mesoporous silica layer of the nanoparticle and a remote radiofrequency (RF) energy source for applying RF energy to the nanoparticle effective to release the one or more therapeutic agents from the nanoparticle by mechanical tumbling and/or vibration of the nanoparticle, wherein release of the one or more therapeutic agents not caused by a hyperthermic response of the nanoparticle to the RF energy.

A balloon catheter system assisted by ultrasound and microbubbles and a method for vasodilation are provided. The system includes: a controller; a sensor catheter; a highly focused ultrasound probe, and the highly focused ultrasound probe and the sensor catheter is connected to the controller; and a balloon catheter. The method of vasodilation includes: providing a sensor catheter into a blood vessel, and controlling a highly focused ultrasound probe to focus at a hardened portion of the blood vessel; removing the sensor catheter from the blood vessel and inserting a balloon catheter into the blood vessel; infusing microbubbles into the balloon catheter and controlling the highly focused ultrasound probe to start working to destroy a calcification point of the hardened portion of the blood vessel, and smoothly inflating the balloon catheter at the hardened portion of the blood vessel.

Antimicrobial films for generating singlet oxygen and their use is described. The antimicrobial films are generally thin films having two surfaces or faces. The first surface of the film is adhesive. Various adhesives, including, electrostatic charges, are possible. The second surface faces in a direction opposite from the first surface. The second surface of the film emits singlet oxygen when activated by light or ultrasound. Various photosensitizers can be incorporated onto the second surface of the films for generating the singlet oxygen. The singlet oxygen and other radical species generated from the antimicrobial films diffuses out from and in proximity to the films to form a layer or cloud of singlet oxygen at a concentration sufficient to inactivate microbial particles, e.g., viruses and other pathogens, that come within the singlet oxygen layer to provide a protective zone against microbial particles.

Described are drug carriers useful in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided drug release comprising a shell capable of releasing an enclosed biologically active agent as a result of a local stimulus, e.g. energy input, such as heat, wherein the shell encloses a .sup.19F MR contrast agent. Preferably, the carrier also acts as a contrast enhancement agent for MRI based on the principle of Chemical Exchange-dependent Saturation Transfer (CEST). To this end the shell encloses a cavity that comprises a paramagnetic chemical shift reagent, a pool of proton analytes, and the .sup.19F contrast agent, and wherein the shell allows diffusion of the proton analytes.

In a method of treating a patient having diffuse plaque and/or a plaque mass associated with Peyronie's disease in a penile region, a battery of tests is performed to quantify an initial state of parameters associated with Peyronie's disease in the patient. Low intensity shock wave therapy is applied to the plaque mass in the penile region, thereby softening the plaque mass and disrupting any calcification in the plaque mass. Carbon dioxide is injected into the plaque mass. The battery of tests is repeated to quantify a current state of parameters associated with Peyronie's disease in the patient and the current state is compared to the initial state. The aforementioned treatment steps are repeated until the current state differs from the initial state by at least a predetermined amount.

Methods and apparatus are provided for applying an fragment of a neurotoxin such as the active light chain (LC) of the botulinum toxin (BoNT), such as one of the serotype A, B, C, D, E, F or G botulinum toxins, via permeabilization of targeted cell membranes to enable translocation of the botulinum neurotoxin light chain (BoNT-LC) molecule across the targeted cell membrane to the cell cytosol where a therapeutic response is produced in a mammalian system. The methods and apparatus include use of catheter based delivery systems, non-invasive delivery systems, and transdermal delivery systems.

This invention provide novel compositions, methods and devices for sustained drug delivery. The compositions can include a fluid carrier; a plurality of first polymeric microparticles having a bioactive agent dispersed in the fluid carrier; and a plurality of second polymeric microparticles having a visualization agent dispersed in the fluid carrier with the first microparticles. Alternative compositions can include: a fluid carrier; and a plurality of polymeric microparticles having a bioactive agent encapsulated therein and a visualization agent on a surface of the polymeric microparticles, the plurality of polymeric microparticles being dispersed in the fluid carrier. The microencapsulated sustained drug delivery compositions are deposited using oscillating needle apparatus oscillating at 10-12000 minutes per minutes at an amount of 1.0E-03 mL to 1.0E-16 mL per injection.