The latest Business updates from the science industry


Microscopy & Imaging by Heather Hobbs Optimised delivery system offers precision target capability Researchers from the University of Utah have optimised an


emerging method of drug delivery whereby nanodroplet carriers release the drug when triggered by a focused beam of ultrasound. The new protocol was said to both safe and effi cient, delivering the drug to exactly the spot required and which they hoped would pave the way for fi rst in-human trials.


“Here we show a method to deliver drugs to specifi c areas of the body where they are needed. We do so using ultrasound waves, which trigger drug release from circulating nanocarriers when focused on the target,” said Matthew G Wilson, a graduate research assistant at the University of Utah, and the study’s fi rst author.


“We developed a method to produce stable nanocarriers repeatably and identifi ed ultrasound parameters that can activate them.”


The nanocarriers are minuscule droplets, between 470 and 550 nanometers across, with a hollow outer shell composed of polymer molecules. These polymers have two distinct ends: a ‘hydrophilic’ one, which mixes well with watery solutions like blood and which faces outward, and a ‘hydrophobic’ one that doesn’t mix with water and which faces inwards.


Within the shell is an inner core of hydrophobic perfl uorocarbons, molecules that consist mostly of fl uorine and carbon and which are mixed with an equally hydrophobic drug of interest. The shells keep the cores apart, preventing them from coalescing into a single droplet and form a barrier against the immune system. The effect


is much like mayonnaise, where proteins from eggs form droplets of encapsulated oils, where otherwise the oil and water would separate completely.


To release the drug, the researchers played back an ultrasound – a sound wave with a frequency beyond the upper limit of human hearing – of 300 or 900 kilohertz. The beam of ultrasound can be steered across three dimensions, to focus on a targted area within the body that is only a few millimeters across.


The ultrasound is thought to cause the perfl uorocarbons to expand, stretching out the droplet’s shell and making it more permeable to the drug, which then diffuses out to the organs, tissues, or cells where it is required.


The researchers compared the effi ciency of delivery of a representative drug – the anesthetic and sedative propofol – between three different perfl uorocarbons, perfl uoropentane (PFP), decafl uoropentane (DFP), and perfl uorooctylbromide (PFOB). The ultrasound was delivered to the nanodroplets in vitro, in 60 pulses of 100 milliseconds over one minute.


The results showed that the balance between stability of the nanodroplets and the effi ciency of delivery was optimal for PFOB cores.


“Previous studies have focused on perfl uorocarbons with low boiling points – usually lower than the human body temperature. We found that droplets with a PFOB core, which has a boiling point


of 142°C, are much more stable over time,” explained Wilson.


“Despite its high boiling point, PFOB can achieve similar levels of drug release when low-frequency ultrasound of 300 kilohertz is applied. The ultrasound frequency turned out to be a critical factor in our study.”


A test for safety showed that the nanodroplets were well tolerated, with no detectable side-effects. These experiments will need to be replicated in microdosing or Phase I trials on human volunteers.


The authors also published their protocol for the production of the nanodroplets as open science, so other research groups can learn directly from their fi ndings.


“The method we developed can be applied to any of a variety of conditions depending on the drug used. For psychiatric applications, localised delivery of propofol could be used as a diagnostic tool to identify brain regions causally involved in disorders for individual patients. For more lasting treatment, ketamine delivery could be a potent method to rewire neural circuits,” concluded Wilson’s academic supervisor, Dr Jan Kubanek, an assistant professor at the University of Utah, and the study’s senior author.


‘Targeted drug release from stable and safe ultrasound-sensitive nanocarriers’ was published in Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences.


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EMC2024 brings Microscopy and Imaging to Copenhagen


The European Microscopy Congress (EMC) 2024 – to be held from Sunday 25th August to Friday 30th August - is the 17th of its kind and will bring the world of scientifi c imaging together in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities - Copenhagen, Denmark.


This is the fi rst in-person event in the series which occur every four years, following cancellation of the August 2020 event due to the pandemic and the subsequent Virtual Early Career Microscopy Congress which was held in November 2020.


Incorporating a balanced conference program of all kinds of microscopy in both physical and life sciences - microscopists, manufacturers and suppliers will come together to share new techniques, applications and technology.


The EMC2024 will take place at Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, 2300 Copenhagen, and features pre-congress workshops on Sunday


25th August and an opening reception. Monday the 26th, Eva Olsson will give the opening address followed by the fi rst plenary. The day will continue with 6 parallel sessions and will close with drinks in the Poster and Exhibition area. The last day of the Congress will conclude with a farewell reception.


The exhibition is one the largest of its kind featuring more than 100 exhibitors. The Royal Microscopical Society will also be attending the Copenhagen event.


The deadline for online registration is 27 July.


EMC2024 is hosted by the Nordic Microscopy Society, SCANDEM and organised in collaboration with the PCO MCI Nordics. More information online: ilmt.co/PL/J5Nb


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Frontiers in Bioimaging and Physical Imaging Frontiers in Bioimaging 2024, 11-12 November, Oxford


This course will focus on the latest developments in optical and electron microscopy as well as image analysis. Sessions will cover novel technical developments and applications of these microscopy- based approaches to key cell and molecular biology questions with an overarching aim to bring insights on how they participate in our understanding of human health and disease. We aim to provide an environment where early-careers and established researchers can meet and engage with a broad range of imaging approaches and to make valuable contacts with leading Scientifi c Organisers.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/RXJL


Scientifi c Organisers Anjali Kusumbe – University of Oxford Kurt Anderson – The Francis Crick Institute Stefania Marcotti – Early Career Representative, Kings College London


RMS Organisers Katie Reynolds - events organiser Nick Cameron - Sponsorship & Exhibitions Co-Ordinator Frontiers in Physical Imaging 2024 19 - 20 Nov, London This will be an in person meeting. For further details and to register your interest contact the RMS.


Scientifi c Organisers


Alex Ball - Outreach & Education Committee Representative, Natural History Museum Asa Barber - Electron Microscopy Section Chair, London South Bank University Thomas Walther - University of Sheffi eld, Events Co-Ordinator


RMS Organisers Alessandra Reni - Events Co-Ordinator Nick Cameron -Sponsorship & Exhibitions Co-Ordinator


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