Interaction of ultrasonically-stimulated microbubbles with biological membranes

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Ideally, therapeutic drugs would be delivered entirely to the diseased tissue, sparring healthy tissues. Of particular interest to our group is the application of sound energy at megahertz frequencies in combination with microbubbles, tiny bubbles smaller than red blood cells, to selectively improve delivery of drugs to cancer cells. Microbubbles are micrometer size, gas-filled structures stabilized by a lipid or polymer shell. When exposed to therapeutic ultrasound, microbubbles can undergo large oscillations and disruption that can increase uptake of drug-molecules into biological cells, which were within the microbubble's vicinity. Our group will examine the interaction of ultrasound with microbubbles and its effect on live cells using a microscopy system that can acquire images of oscillating microbubbles at 2 million frames per second, fluorescent images of cells at one thousand frames per second while simultaneously listening to the sound emitted by microbubbles. Fundamental studies of the interaction of ultrasonically-stimulated microbubbles with biological membranes in real time will improve our understanding of underlying mechanisms and guide the optimization of ultrasound-potentiated cancer therapies.