The present invention provides novel compositions and methods for targeted delivery of therapeutics. In particular, the invention provides compositions comprising a plurality of carriers, such as microbubbles, wherein at least one active agent is associated or co-administered with the plurality of carriers for delivery to a target site, e.g., an organ, a tissue, or a tumor site, in a subject. The present invention also provides methods for treating a disease or condition, methods of targeted delivery of an active agent, e.g., to a target site, in a subject, using the carriers based compositions of the invention. The present invention further provides apparatus, devices and methods for preparing the compositions of the present invention.

Disclosed are methods of obtaining zero vergence ultrasound waves for providing sonodynamic therapy with ultrasound waves. The method includes coupling a sonodynamic therapy device with an array of flat piezoelectric transducers to a skin surface. A controller is configured to generate an electrical drive signal at a frequency, modulate the drive signal, and drive the transducer with the modulated drive signal at the frequency to produce a zero vergence ultrasound wave to produce an average acoustic intensity sufficient to activate a sonosensitizer in a treatment region without damaging healthy cells in the treatment region.

The present invention relates to an ultrasound apparatus for efficiently applying ultrasound waves over a treated area by mechanically moving the ultrasound transducer over an area larger than the Effective Radiating Area (ERA) comprising: (a) an ultrasound transducer, connected by wiring, for dispersing ultrasound waves; (b) an electric actuator for spinning a crank, wherein a shaft is eccentrically attached to said crank for rotatably whirling said transducer in circles.

An apparatus comprises a source of ultrasound energy comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers. Each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers is configured to direct ultrasound energy to a treatment region located at a depth below a skin surface associated with a patient. The apparatus further comprises a control system for controlling power to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and a water circulation system for controlling a temperature associated with the plurality of ultrasound transducers. The apparatus further comprises an imaging transducer for spatially registering the location of the treatment region.

Ultrasound device configured to carry out a HIFU treatment and to detect in real time during the HIFU treatment the temperature distribution in the area of treatment, comprising: an ultrasound probe comprising at least an array of piezoelectric or CMUT transducers, —piloting means of said ultrasound probe, computing means configured to receive and store said raw ultrasound signals reflected by said tissues and acquired by each of said piezoelectric or CMUT transducers, to process said reflected raw ultrasound signals in order to generate an ultrasound image, as well as to carry out other processing on said raw ultrasound signals reflected by said tissues, characterized in that computer programs are loaded on said computing means, configured to carry out the method for determining the actual acoustic heating rate of tissues, comprising the following steps: a) identifying, inside an ultrasound image (14), a region of interest (15) inside which an area to be treated (16) is provided, b) assigning a starting temperature distribution, by means of which a temperature value is assigned to each point of ROI, c) emitting a high intensity ultrasound beam (100) focused on a focal point (11) contained in said ROI for a predetermined time interval, and subsequently a broadband ultrasound pulse (200), and detecting the ultrasound signal reflected and/or emitted by the tissues under treatment, d) carrying out the frequency transform of said reflected ultrasound signal in response to said broadband ultrasound pulse (200), in order to obtain a reference frequency spectrum (200s), e) repeating steps c) and d) iteratively, thus obtaining a frequency spectrum for each iteration, f) assuming that the temperature at the focus (11) is equal to a predetermined temperature and function of the tissue in the treatment step when the frequency spectrum (202s) detected in response to a broadband ultrasound pulse (202) comprises a plurality of peaks (2021) not provided in the reference frequency spectrum (200s), g) determining the actual acoustic heating rate Q as a function of said predetermined temperature, of the intensity of said high intensity ultrasound beam (100).

Disclosed herein is a novel technique that employs non-invasive ultrasound for spatiotemporal modulation of the refractive index in a medium to define and control the trajectory of light within the medium itself, thereby creating a virtual sculpted lens. By varying the amplitude of ultrasonic waves in the medium, the numerical aperture (NA) value of the virtual sculpted lens can be changed. The location of the focus of the virtual sculpted lens can be precisely scanned within a scattering tissue.

A universal ultrasound device having an ultrasound probe includes a semiconductor die; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers integrated on the semiconductor die, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers configured to operate a first mode associated with a first frequency range and a second mode associated with a second frequency range, wherein the first frequency range is at least partially non-overlapping with the second frequency range; and control circuitry configured to: control the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to generate and/or detect ultrasound signals having frequencies in the first frequency range, in response to receiving an indication to operate the ultrasound probe in the first mode; and control the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to generate and/or detect ultrasound signals having frequencies in the second frequency range, in response to receiving an indication to operate the ultrasound probe in the second mode.

Proposed is an ultrasound and vacuum pulse generator capable of generating a spiral vortex and a pain relief apparatus using the same, which is characterized in that the physiological function of cells adjacent to a target is activated using a spiral vortex-shaped ultrasound.

Disclosed herein are devices, systems, and methods for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided procedure in which focused energy is applied to an area of interest of a subject. Disclosed herein are coupling baths comprising an aqueous solution comprising a plurality of paramagnetic particles dispersed in water, wherein, when magnetic resonance images are collected from the area of interest of the subject for MRI guidance: the coupling bath is located proximate to the area of interest, and the composition, the average particle size, the shape, the concentration, the presence or absence of the capping layer, the identity of the plurality of ligands when the capping layer is present, the average thickness of the capping layer when the capping layer is present, or a combination thereof is/are selected such that the coupling bath reduces or prevents imaging artifacts in the magnetic resonance images for the MRI guidance.

An ultrasound treatment system operable to deliver ultrasound energy to a patient's brain, the system comprises a treatment ultrasound transducer comprising a plurality of treatment elements, the treatment ultrasound transducer locatable to deliver ultrasound into the head of the patient. The system further comprises a data store, one or more position sensors configured to detect relative movement between the head of the patient and the treatment ultrasound transducer, and a data processor.