Microfluidic Assembly of Monodisperse, Nanoparticle-Incorporated Perfluorocarbon Microbubbles for Medical Imaging and Therapy

New medical imaging contrast agents that permit multiple imaging and therapy applications using a single agent can result in more accurate diagnosis and local treatment of diseased tissue. Solid nanoparticles (NPs) (5−150 nm in size) have emerged as promising imaging and therapy agents, as have micrometer-scale, perfluorocarbon gas-filled microbubbles (MBs) used in patients as intravascular ultrasound contrast agents. We propose that the modular combination of small, solid NPs and larger, highly compressible MBs into a single agent is an effective way to attain the desired complementary and hybrid properties of two very different agents. Presented here is a new strategy for the simple and robust incorporation of various medical NPs with monodisperse MBs based upon the controlled pH-based regulation of the electrostatic attraction between NPs and the MB shell. Using this simple approach, microfluidic-generated, protein−lipid-coated, perfluorobutane MBs (with size control down to 3 μm) were incorporated with silica-coated NPs, including CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, gold nanorods, iron oxide NPs, and Gd-loaded mesoporous silica NPs. The silica interface permits NP inclusion within MBs to be independent of NP composition, morphology, and size. Significantly, the NP-incorporated MBs (NP−MBs) diluted in saline were detectable using low-pressure ultrasound, and the monodisperse MB platform can be produced at high-throughput, sufficient for in vivo usage (106 MB/sec). The modular synthesis of a variety of NP−MBs can facilitate flexible, user-defined, multifunctional imaging and therapy agents tailored for specific applications and disease types.