Liposomes-based Nanoplatform Enlarges Ultrasound-related Diagnostic and Therapeutic Precision

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) is recognized in the medical field as a safe and effective imaging modality due to its lack of ionizing radiation, non-invasive approach, and real-time monitoring capability. Accompanying recent progress in nanomedicine, US has been providing hope of theranostic capability not only for imaging-based diagnosis but also for US-based therapy by taking advantage of the bioeffects induced by US. Cavitation, sonoporation, thermal effects, and other cascade effects stimulated by acoustic energy conversion have contributed to medical problem-solving in the past decades, although to varying degrees of efficacy in comparison to other methods. Recently, the usage of liposomesbased nanoplatform fuels the development of nanomedicine and provides novel clinical strategies for antitumor, thrombolysis, and controlled drug release. The merging of novel liposome-based nanoplatforms and US-induced reactions has promise for a new blueprint for future medicine. In the present review article, the value of liposome-based nanoplatforms in US-related diagnosis and therapy will be discussed and summarized along with potential future directions for further investigations.

Keywords: Liposomes; diagnosis; nanomedicine; nanoplatform; therapy; ultrasound.