Photonic Nanosonophores for Functional and Structural Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）：提出将肿瘤靶向、生物相容性、造影剂使能纳米颗粒与光声成像（派）相结合。派是一种新兴的、简单、低成本、非电离、非侵入性的方法。这种组合的目的是实现同时的结构和化学/功能成像。近年来，派技术在乳腺癌、前列腺癌、黑色素瘤、炎症性关节炎等疾病的诊断中有着广阔的应用前景。所提出的基于nanosonophore的派方法能够安全成像，仅使用光和超声，以及生物相容性，基于水凝胶，可生物降解和生物可消除的纳米颗粒造影剂和传感器。所得到的非侵入性和非电离派将使得能够在整个肿瘤中进行形态和功能评估，具有高空间和高时间分辨率，但对组织没有任何损伤。目前，对于这种功能性成像不存在金标准。所提出的成像方法可用于肿瘤的早期检测和诊断，以及用于监测疾病和治疗的进展。它还可以在体内观察分子水平的现象，并允许更好地了解疾病的病理生理学以及疾病的发作，进展和对治疗的反应。使用能够同时实现多种化学和结构成像功能的纳米颗粒造影剂，将使医疗保健从业者不必使用不同的造影剂组进行一系列检查，以便生成完整的诊断评估。具体目标是：1。优化靶向多功能Sonophoric纳米颗粒（NPs）作为体内结构和功能光声成像的造影剂。2.使用靶向肿瘤的纳米颗粒进行结构成像3.肿瘤中氧和pH的体内分布的功能成像。4.通过结构和功能成像的组合监测肿瘤治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Proposed is the combining of tumor-targeted, biocompatible, contrast enabling nanoparticles with photoacoustic imaging (PAI). PAI is an emerging, simple, low cost, non-ionizing and non-invasive method. The aim of this combination is to achieve simultaneous structural and chemical/functional imaging. Recently, the emerging PAI technique has drawn considerable attention and has been explored for its potential application to a variety of diseases, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and inflammatory arthritis. The proposed nanosonophore-based PAI method enables safe imaging, using only light and ultrasound, together with biocompatible, hydrogel-based, biodegradable and bio-eliminable nanoparticle contrast agents and sensors. The resultant non-invasive and non-ionizing PAI will enable morphological and functional evaluation, across the tumor, with both high spatial and high temporal resolution, but without any damage to the tissues. Currently no gold standard exists for such functional imaging. The proposed imaging method can be used for early detection and diagnosis of tumors, and for monitoring the progression of disease and of therapy. It could also observe phenomena at the molecular level in vivo and allow a better understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases as well as of disease onset, progression, and response to therapy. Using a nanoparticle contrast agent that enables multiple chemical and structural imaging functions, simultaneously, will free healthcare practitioners from having to perform a series of examinations with a diverse set of contrast agents so as to generate a complete diagnostic assessment. The Specific Aims are: 1. Optimization of Targeted Multi-functional Sonophoric Nanoparticles (NPs) as Contrast Agents for in-vivo Structural and Functional Photoacoustic Imaging. 2. Structural Imaging using Nanoparticles Targeted at the Tumor 3. Functional Imaging of the In-Vivo Distribution of Oxygen and pH Across Tumors. 4. Monitoring Tumor Therapy by a Combination of Structural and Functional Imaging.