title: Aptamer-crosslinked microbubbles: smart contrast agents for thrombin-activated ultrasound imaging.
abstract: Thrombosis, or malignant blood clotting, is associated with numerous cardiovascular diseases and cancers. A microbubble contrast agent is presented that produces ultrasound harmonic signal only when exposed to elevated thrombin levels. Initially silent microbubbles are activated in the presence of both thrombin-spiked and freshly clotting blood in three minutes with detection limits of 20 nM thrombin and 2 aM microbubbles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0448, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nakatsuka
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Mattrey
authors.forename: Sadik C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Esener
authors.forename: Jennifer N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Goodwin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D001769:Blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry; D045423:Microbubbles; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D013917:Thrombin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D003287:Contrast Media; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D013917:Thrombin