Bubble-Assisted Ultrasound: Application in Immunotherapy and Vaccination.
Bubble-assisted ultrasound is a versatile technology with great potential in immunotherapy and vaccination. This technology involves the exposure of immune cells (i.e., dendritic cells, lymphocytes) in-vitro or diseased tissues (i.e., brain, tumor) in-vivo to ultrasound treatment with gas bubbles. Bubble destruction leads to physical forces that induce the direct delivery of weakly permeant immuno-stimulatory molecules either into the cytoplasm of immune cells, or through the endothelial barrier of diseased tissues. Hence, therapeutic antibodies (i.e., antibody-based immunotherapy) and cytokine-encoding nucleic acids (i.e., cytokine gene therapy) can be successfully delivered into diseased tissues, thus improving immune responses. In addition, protein antigens, as well as antigen-encoding nucleic acids (pDNA, mRNA), can be delivered into dendritic cells (i.e., dendritic cell-based vaccines), thus leading to a long-lasting prophylactic or therapeutic immunization. This chapter focuses on the state-of-the-art of bubble-assisted ultrasound in the field of immunotherapy and vaccination.
Imaging Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. j.r.escoffre@umcutrecht.nl.
Jean-Michel
JM
Escoffre
Imaging Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Roel
R
Deckers
Imaging Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. c.bos@umcutrecht.nl.
Clemens
C
Bos
Imaging Division, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Chrit
C
Moonen
D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D045423:Microbubbles; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*
Bubble; Immunotherapy; Ultrasound; Vaccination