DataVXAdvanced MaterialsPaper
journal article·2026-01Open access

Microbubble Shell Stiffness Engineering Enhances Ultrasound Imaging, Drug Delivery, and Sonoporation

Roman A. Barmin, MirJavad Moosavifar, Elena Rama, Julia Blöck, Anne Rix, Vladislav S. Petrovskii, Rustam A. Gumerov, Jens Köhler, Michael Pohl, Céline Bastard, Stephan Rütten, Laura Charlton, Vu Ngoc Khiêm, Fabio Domenici, Thomas Lisson, Ekaterina Savina, Rui Zhang, Jasmin Baier, Susanne Koletnik, Vasileios Koutsos, Mikhail Itskov, Gaio Paradossi, Georg Schmitz, Tina Vermonden, Laura De Laporte, Robert Göstl, Andreas Herrmann, Igor I Potemkin, Fabian Kiessling, Twan Lammers, Roger M. Pallares

Advanced Materials· Volume 38· Issue 6
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Source abstract

Abstract

Abstract Microbubbles (MB) are widely used as contrast agents for ultrasound (US) imaging and US‐enhanced drug delivery. While the majority of studies utilize commercial MB formulations, increasing experimental evidence indicates that distinct MB features critically determine their diagnostic and therapeutic performance. Here, it is shown that shell stiffness engineering of poly(alkyl cyanoacrylate) (PACA) MB, via introducing monomers with varying alkyl chain lengths and glass transition temperatures, preserves a narrow size distribution ≈2–3 µm, while enhancing MB drug loading, in vitro sonoporation capability, and in vitro and in vivo acoustic responses. All‐atom molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopic experiments demonstrate that MB shell engineering increases drug diffusion rates in the shell, maximizing the loading capacity of the formulations. Atomic force microscopy demonstrates that the stiffness of the MB shell can be tailored by more than ten‐fold, boosting sonoporation and imaging performance. Altogether, the work provides new insights into the control of polymeric MB structure and performance via dedicated shell engineering, promoting applications in US imaging and therapy.
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Research context

PolymersCeramics & glasses

OpenAlex topics: Ultrasound and Hyperthermia Applications · Ultrasound and Cavitation Phenomena · Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging RWTH Aachen University Hospital 52074 Aachen Germany

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia Barcelona 08028 Spain

DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials 52074 Aachen Germany

Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry RWTH Aachen University 52074 Aachen Germany

Department of Advanced Materials for Biomedicine Institute of Applied Medical Engineering RWTH Aachen University 52074 Aachen Germany

Electron Microscope Facility RWTH Aachen University Hospital 52074 Aachen Germany

School of Engineering Institute for Materials and Processes University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3FB UK

Department of Continuum Mechanics RWTH Aachen University 52074 Aachen Germany

Department of Chemical Science and Technologies University of Rome “Tor Vergata” Rome 00133 Italy

Chair for Medical Engineering Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Ruhr University Bochum 44801 Bochum Germany

Division of Pharmaceutics Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) Utrecht University Utrecht TB 3508 The Netherlands

Department of Chemistry and Biology University of Wuppertal 42119 Wuppertal Germany

Funding

European Commission · Leibniz-Gemeinschaft · European Research Council · Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft · Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

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