Ultrasound molecular imaging with customizable nanoscale phase-change contrast agents: An in-vitro feasibility study
Ultrasonics Symposium(2012)
Abstract
Phase-change contrast agents (PCCAs) can be vaporized to the echogenic gas state by acoustic/thermal energy from an ultrasound transducer. Few studies to date have explored the molecular imaging capability of PCCAs. In this study, we generate nanoscale droplets composed of low boiling point perfluorocarbons encapsulated in lipid shells capable of targeting αvβ3. When incubated with HUVEC cells expressing αvβ3, the agents could be activated and imaged with the same transducer, and produced a significant increase in pixel intensity within the cell monolayer. Analysis showed a significant imaging contrast over both baseline and non-targeted controls. Low-boiling point, nanoscale PCCAs may provide new approaches to intravascular and extravascular ultrasound-based molecular imaging.
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Key words
biochemistry,biomedical transducers,biomedical ultrasonics,boiling point,cellular biophysics,drops,encapsulation,lipid bilayers,molecular biophysics,monolayers,organic compounds,huvec cell,acoustic energy,cell monolayer,droplet vaporization,echogenic gas state,extravascular ultrasound molecular imaging,in-vitro feasibility study,intravascular ultrasound molecular imaging,lipid shell,low boiling point perfluorocarbon,phase-change contrast agent,pixel intensity,thermal energy,ultrasound transducer,acoustic droplet vaporization,contrast agent,molecular imaging,perfluorocarbon,phase-change
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