Development of hemoglobin microbubbles for acoustic blood oxygen sensing: A study on PEGylation and gas core modification for in vivo applications.

The creation of innovative ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) with the ability to monitor oxygen levels in real-time holds immense potential for advancing early diagnosis of various medical conditions such as hypoxic/reperfusion injury. In this study, we propose the development of oxygen sensitive UCAs using microbubbles composed of hemoglobin (HbMBs), which can function as sensors for blood oxygen levels. Previously, we performed a study highlighting the initial proof-of-concept efficacy of air-filled HbMBs in detecting oxygenation changes in vitro, offering a promising tool for clinically detecting tissue hypoxia.

Remote Loading: The Missing Piece for Achieving High Drug Payload and Rapid Release in Polymeric Microbubbles.

The use of drug-loaded microbubbles for targeted drug delivery, particularly in cancer treatment, has been extensively studied in recent years. However, the loading capacity of microbubbles has been limited due to their surface area. Typically, drug molecules are loaded on or within the shell, or drug-loaded nanoparticles are coated on the surfaces of microbubbles.