Breaking free from vascular confinement: status and prospects for submicron ultrasound contrast agents

This article reviews the status and prospects of exogenous agents including nanobubbles, echogenic liposomes, gas vesicles, cavitation seeds, and nanodroplets, and assesses outstanding criticisms preventing their advance. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. While microbubbles are confined to remain in the vasculature, physiological consequences of tumor microvasculature afford opportunities for nanoscale agents to escape the intravascular space and expand bubble‐mediated potential. Here we review the status and prospects of nanoscale exogenous agents as ultrasound theranostic mediators, including nanobubbles, echogenic liposomes, gas vesicles, cavitation seeds, and nanodroplets, and we assess outstanding criticisms preventing their advance.
Source: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Opinion Source Type: research