Issue 43, 2023

Polymeric materials for ultrasound imaging and therapy

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) is routinely used for diagnostic imaging and increasingly employed for therapeutic applications. Materials that act as cavitation nuclei can improve the resolution of US imaging, and facilitate therapeutic US procedures by promoting local drug delivery or allowing temporary biological barrier opening at moderate acoustic powers. Polymeric materials offer a high degree of control over physicochemical features concerning responsiveness to US, e.g. via tuning chain composition, length and rigidity. This level of control cannot be achieved by materials made of lipids or proteins. In this perspective, we present key engineered polymeric materials that respond to US, including microbubbles, gas-stabilizing nanocups, microcapsules and gas-releasing nanoparticles, and discuss their formulation aspects as well as their principles of US responsiveness. Focusing on microbubbles as the most common US-responsive polymeric materials, we further evaluate the available chemical toolbox to engineer polymer shell properties and enhance their performance in US imaging and US-mediated drug delivery. Additionally, we summarize emerging applications of polymeric microbubbles in molecular imaging, sonopermeation, and gas and drug delivery, based on refinement of MB shell properties. Altogether, this manuscript provides new perspectives on US-responsive polymeric designs, envisaging their current and future applications in US imaging and therapy.

Graphical abstract: Polymeric materials for ultrasound imaging and therapy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
18 Aug. 2023
Accepted
11 Okt. 2023
First published
17 Okt. 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 11941-11954

Polymeric materials for ultrasound imaging and therapy

R. A. Barmin, M. Moosavifar, A. Dasgupta, A. Herrmann, F. Kiessling, R. M. Pallares and T. Lammers, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 11941 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC04339H

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