Ultrasound microbubbles

Ultrasound is a well-established technique used traditionally for biomedical imaging.

The application of ultrasound is now widened to two areas such as for targeted imaging and a drug delivery.

When the ultrasound imaging is performed, we usually see a density of the tissue on the screen. So if you can change the density, one area of the tissue can become clearer compared to another. So if microbubbles containing gas inside them are introduced into a blood stream, a big density change and much stronger ultrasound echoes are produced.

The another way of ultrasound application is for a drug delivery.

The potential of ultrasound to be used for a drug delivery was only recognized in late 1990s.

Ultrasound plays a great role in the diagnosis, for example, of the cancer.

The size of the microbubbles are around 1-8 micrometers.

They consist of the gas (i.e air, nitrogen) core and a shell which can be a biocompatible polymer or protein. The drug is attached or dissolved in that shell.

These microbubbles are used as vehicles that drive drugs to tissues.

Once microbbubles reach the target, ultrasound is applied and it breaks the bubbles releasing the drug. This way of drug delivery minimizes the possible side effects of the drugs to healthy cells.

By Liv Brann