Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jie Zhou, Hongjin Xiang, Jianbo Huang, Yi Zhong, Xiaoxia Zhu, Jinshun Xu, Qiang Lu, Binyang Gao, Huan Zhang, Rui Yang, Yan Luo, Feng Yan
Summary: The study shows that charged Nano-UCAs have a higher likelihood of activating the complement system and being efficiently engulfed by macrophages.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Cheng Fang, Sudha A. Anupindi, Susan J. Back, Doris Franke, Thomas G. Green, Zoltan Harkanyi, Jorg Jungert, Jeannie K. Kwon, Harriet J. Paltiel, Judy H. Squires, Vassil N. Zefov, M. Beth McCarville
Summary: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is increasingly used in children for characterization and follow-up of liver lesions. It involves intravenous administration of ultrasound contrast agents for real-time observation of enhancement patterns, often providing definite diagnosis and avoiding the need for further imaging or procedures. The recent approval of Lumason for pediatric liver CEUS applications has contributed to the widespread use of CEUS.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Pankaj Gupta, Pratyaksha Rana, Yashi Marodia, Jayanta Samanta, Vishal Sharma, Saroj K. Sinha, Harjeet Singh, Vikas Gupta, Thakur Deen Yadav, Radhika Sreenivasan, Kim Vaiphei, Arvind Rajwanshi, Rakesh Kochhar, Manavjit Sandhu
Summary: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) plays an important role in the evaluation of solid pancreatic head lesions (SPHL) and can be used to differentiate pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) from non-PDAC lesions.
EUROPEAN RADIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jieqiong Wang, Zhenzhou Li, Min Pan, Muhammad Fiaz, Yongsheng Hao, Yiran Yan, Litao Sun, Fei Yan
Summary: This review provides an overview of the basic mechanisms, medical applications, and evaluation methods of focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles for opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and discusses its potential in the treatment of glioblastoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin van Elburg, Joke Deprez, Martin van den Broek, Stefaan C. De Smedt, Michel Versluis, Guillaume Lajoinie, Ine Lentacker, Tim Segers
Summary: Sonoporation is a process facilitated by ultrasound-driven microbubble oscillations that enhances intracellular drug delivery. This study aimed to investigate the role of microbubble size on sonoporation and the relevant mechanism(s). The results showed that sonoporation efficiency strongly depended on the equilibrium bubble size, with bubbles of approximately 4.7 μm radius being the most efficient. Shear stress was unlikely to be the mechanism of action, while normal stress correlated well with sonoporation efficiency.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bhavyashree Suresh, Anand Saminathan, Kasturi Chakraborty, Matthew Zajac, Chang Cui, Lev Becker, Yamuna Krishnan
Summary: Lysosomes can adopt dynamic, tubular states to regulate antigen presentation, phagosome resolution, and autophagy, with tubular lysosomes exhibiting different biochemical properties compared to the resting state. By using a DNA-based assembly method, lysosomes can be tubulated in macrophages, revealing lower degradative activity and specific pH and Ca2+ gradients in tubular lysosomes. This new approach of tubulating lysosomes without starving or activating immune cells may uncover novel roles for tubular lysosomes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Doris Franke, Reza J. Daugherty, Damjana Kljucevsek, Aikaterini Ntoulia, Vasileios Rafailidis, Marcelo S. Takahashi, Alvaro Torres, Bernarda Viteri, Frank M. Volberg
Summary: Ultrasound, especially contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), plays a crucial role in evaluating liver and kidney transplants by assessing organ status, vascular patency, and potential complications, aiding in prompt and accurate diagnosis for management decisions. It is particularly useful for detecting vascular complications, parenchymal abnormalities, and excluding underlying causes for organ dysfunction suspected of transplant rejection.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Ami Gokli, Jonathan R. Dillman, Paul D. Humphries, Damjana Kljucevsek, Hans-Joachim Mentzel, Erika Rubesova, Marcelo S. Takahashi, Sudha A. Anupindi
Summary: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a valuable modality for bowel imaging in both adults and children, allowing visualization of bowel wall perfusion and mesentery. It can also be used for quantitative measurements of contrast kinetics to assess bowel wall enhancement objectively. This technique is commonly applied for evaluating inflammatory bowel disease and monitoring treatment response, with emerging applications for other conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis and appendicitis.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Acoustics
Rafey A. Feroze, Jonathan Kopechek, Jianhui Zhu, Xucai Chen, Flordeliza S. Villanueva
Summary: This study investigated the potential of using ultrasound-targeted microbubble cavitation (UTMC) to deliver miR-29b and mitigate cardiac fibrosis while preserving left ventricular (LV) function. The results showed that UTMC treatment with miR-29b-loaded microbubbles reduced fibrosis markers and preserved cardiac function in cell and mouse models.
ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Kassa Darge, Susan J. Back, Richard A. Barth, Ann M. Johnson, Jeannie K. Kwon, M. Beth McCarville, Trudy A. Morgan, Aikaterini Ntoulia, Laura Poznick, Sphoorti Shellikeri, Abhay S. Srinivasan, Anne Marie Cahill
Summary: The addition of contrast US to an existing pediatric US service involves steps such as communication with stakeholders, incorporation of UCA into pharmacy formulary, equipment update, proper preparation and training. It is important to educate referring physicians and participate in contrast US courses for successful implementation.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Feng Li, Wensheng Xu, Yujin Feng, Wengang Wang, Hui Tian, Suhuan He, Liang Li, Bai Xiang, Yueheng Wang
Summary: This study explored a neural network-based model to predict the structure-echogenicity relationship for the preparation of ultrasound-enhanced contrast agents. The model showed high accuracy in predicting the effects of different imaging techniques and identified important parameters for successful synthesis. The results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the model in exploring the synthesis process.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tiandong Chen, Weiling Miao, Zhenrong Yang, Fang Yang
Summary: This study investigates the response of well-organized nanostructures to the repeated compression method by treating preprepared liposomes and polymeric nanovesicles. The results demonstrate that the presence of a phospholipid bilayer is crucial for the formation of liposome-based nanobubbles, and the low elastic modulus of the polymeric membrane is key to encapsulate gases into polymeric nanovesicles.
Article
Acoustics
Mawia Khairalseed, Kenneth Hoyt
Summary: A generalized mathematical framework called pulse inversion spectral deconvolution (PISD) for contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging is introduced in this article. The PISD approach is based on Gaussian derivative functions (GDFs) and uses PISD pulses to filter backscattered ultrasound (US) data for isolating nonlinear (NL) microbubble (MB) signals. The study evaluates the role of wide-beam transmit aperture size in CEUS imaging and quantifies image enhancement using a contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). In vivo data collected in rats demonstrates that PISD-based CEUS imaging improves vascular visualization compared to the NL imaging strategy.
Article
Pediatrics
Shelby Kutty, David M. Biko, Alan B. Goldberg, Michael D. Quartermain, Steven B. Feinstein
Summary: Cardiac contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has been demonstrated to be safe and beneficial in children and adolescents for a variety of clinical indications, improving transthoracic echocardiography in challenging patients. The FDA approval of a pediatric echocardiography contrast agent in 2019 has opened up new possibilities for future applications.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yanan Feng, Yongsheng Hao, Yuanyuan Wang, Weijian Song, Shanxin Zhang, Dong Ni, Fei Yan, Litao Sun
Summary: In this study, a nanoscale acoustic probe based on gas vesicles (GVs) was developed by conjugating ZD2 peptides to the biosynthetic GVs. The resulting ZD2-GVs showed excellent binding capability to tumor cells and demonstrated strong penetration ability in tumor tissues. This study suggests that ZD2-GVs can serve as a potential UMI probe for early diagnosis of bladder cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marjorie T. Buss, Pradeep Ramesh, Max Atticus English, Audrey Lee-Gosselin, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: The use of a composite biomagnetic material with microscale magnetic particles and probiotic bacteria, along with an externally applied magnetic field, allows for better localization and retention of probiotic bacteria in the GI tract of mice. This technology enhances the ability of GI-targeted probiotics to accumulate at specific locations and stably colonize without the need for antibiotic treatment, providing external physical control to an important class of microbial theranostics.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Arash Farhadi, Felix Sigmund, Gil Gregor Westmeyer, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Advancements in research have allowed for the visualization of specific cell and molecular functions in non-invasive biological imaging using genetically encoded protein contrast agents, providing new forms of biomolecular and cellular contrast.
Review
Neurosciences
Baptiste Heiles, Dion Terwiel, David Maresca
Summary: Ultrasound imaging is widely used in clinical practice, revealing prenatal development and arterial function in the adult brain. While ultrasound waves provide information about organ motion and mechanical properties, their ability to detect molecular targets is limited. Targeting synthetic ultrasound contrast agents to molecular targets has addressed this limitation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Przemyslaw Dutka, Dina Malounda, Lauren Ann Metskas, Songye Chen, Robert C. Hurt, George J. Lu, Grant J. Jensen, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Gas vesicles are protein nanostructures filled with air, used for flotation by various microorganisms and gaining interest in biotechnology applications. The diameter of gas vesicles is crucial for their mechanical stability, buoyancy function, and imaging properties. Discrepancies in reported diameters of gas vesicles can be explained by the method used for assessment, and electron microscopy techniques can provide accurate measurements of their dimensions.
Article
Neurosciences
Sumner L. Norman, David Maresca, Vassilios N. Christopoulos, Whitney S. Griggs, Charlie Demene, Mickael Tanter, Mikhail G. Shapiro, Richard A. Andersen
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of functional ultrasound neuroimaging to detect the neural correlates of movement planning in the brain, providing a critical advancement towards the development of less invasive, high resolution, and scalable neuro-recording and brain interface tools.
Article
Physics, Applied
Claire Rabut, Di Wu, Bill Ling, Zhiyang Jin, Dina Malounda, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Ultrasound is increasingly used in molecular and cellular imaging with the help of new micro- and nanoscale contrast agents and reporter genes. Existing ultrasound techniques face limitations in terms of scan speed and field of view, but a new ultrafast nonlinear imaging modality has been introduced to address these issues, achieving higher sensitivity and faster imaging while allowing for simultaneous monitoring of phenomena that require ultrafast frame rates.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Daniel P. Sawyer, Avinoam Bar-Zion, Arash Farhadi, Shirin Shivaei, Bill Ling, Audrey Lee-Gosselin, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Acoustic reporter genes can be imaged with high sensitivity using the BURST imaging sequence, enabling the detection of single cells under optimal conditions. BURST improves the cellular detection limit by more than 1,000-fold compared to conventional methods, by taking advantage of the unique temporal signal pattern produced by gas vesicles as they collapse under acoustic pressure. This technology has the potential to expand the use of ultrasound for non-invasive imaging of cellular functions, as demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Avinoam Bar-Zion, Atousa Nourmahnad, David R. Mittelstein, Shirin Shivaei, Sangjin Yoo, Marjorie T. Buss, Robert C. Hurt, Dina Malounda, Mohamad H. Abedi, Audrey Lee-Gosselin, Margaret B. Swift, David Maresca, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Recent advancements in molecular engineering and synthetic biology have enabled the development of biomolecular and cell-based therapies with high molecular specificity, but limited spatiotemporal control. Gas vesicles, a genetically encodable air-filled protein nanostructure, can be engineered to deliver potent mechanical effects at specific locations inside the body through ultrasound-induced inertial cavitation. This capability has potential applications in remotely actuated cell-killing and tissue-disrupting agents, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of gas vesicles under focused ultrasound actuation.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sangjin Yoo, David R. Mittelstein, Robert Hurt, Jerome Lacroix, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Focused ultrasound excites neurons through mechanosensitive ion channels, resulting in calcium accumulation and burst firing response. This non-invasive method provides high spatial precision and does not require chemical or genetic modification, making it an important tool for neuroscience research.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Hossein Salahshoor, Hongsun Guo, Mikhail G. Shapiro, Michael Ortiz
Summary: Ultrasound neuromodulation (UNM) is a promising technique for excitation or inhibition of neural activity, but its off-target sensory effects and their dependence on stimulation frequency are still unclear. Research shows that the brain is largely insulated by the skull, and shear waves are carried away from the skull by the vertebral column, forming a frequency-dependent waveguide mechanism that may contribute to the frequency dependence of UNM effects.
EXTREME MECHANICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Di Wu, Diego Baresch, Colin Cook, Zhichao Ma, Mengtong Duan, Dina Malounda, David Maresca, Maria P. Abundo, Justin Lee, Shirin Shivaei, David R. Mittelstein, Tian Qiu, Peer Fischer, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Ultrasound can manipulate cells with high precision through acoustic radiation force (ARF), but this ability is disconnected from cellular genetic programs due to the similar acoustic properties of most cells. Gas vesicles (GVs), a unique class of gas-filled protein nanostructures, can serve as genetically encodable actuators for selective acoustic manipulation. GVs experience strong ARF with opposite polarity to most other materials due to their lower density and higher compressibility relative to water. When expressed inside cells, GVs invert the cells' acoustic contrast and amplify their ARF, enabling selective manipulation of cells based on their genotype. GVs provide a direct link between gene expression and acoustomechanical actuation, opening up a paradigm for selective cellular control in a broad range of contexts.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Muyuan Wang, Rozhin Rowshanpour, Liangyu Guan, Jonah Ruskin, Phuong Minh Nguyen, Yuang Wang, Qinze Arthur Zhang, Ran Liu, Bill Ling, Ryan Woltornist, Alexander M. Stephens, Aarush Prasad, Travis Dudding, Thomas Lectka, Cody Ross Pitts
Summary: This article provides a detailed mechanistic study on a photochemical reaction, and proof of concept for two new methodologies discovered during the study. It also applies the findings to a broader analysis of other types of fluorination reactions.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bill Ling, Jeong Hoon Ko, Benjamin Stordy, Yuwei Zhang, Tighe F. Didden, Dina Malounda, Margaret B. Swift, Warren C. W. Chan, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: This study investigates the dynamics of gas vesicles (GVs) in the bloodstream and their interactions with blood components. The binding of erythrocytes and serum proteins to GVs shapes their acoustic response, circulation time, and immunogenicity. Surface modification of GVs can alter these interactions and modify their in vivo performance.
Article
Biophysics
Yuxing Yao, Zhiyang Jin, Bill Ling, Dina Malounda, Mikhail G. Shapiro
Summary: Research has shown that the ordered assembly of gas vesicles can be achieved by screening their mutual electrostatic repulsion with electrolytes and creating a crowding force with dissolved macromolecules. The study provides insight into how physically driven interactions affect the formation of protein superstructures, offering guidance for manipulating nanoparticle assembly in cellular environments. These findings inform research on the biotechnological applications of genetically encoded protein nanoparticles.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)