A major challenge in neuroscience is to reliably activate individual neurons, particularly those in deeper brain regions. Current optogenetic approaches require invasive surgical procedures to deliver light of specific wavelengths to target cells in order to activate or silence them. Here, we demonstrate the use of low-pressure ultrasound as a non-invasive trigger to activate specific ultrasonically-sensitized neurons in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. We first show that wild-type animals are insensitive to low pressure ultrasound and require gas-filled microbubbles to transduce the ultrasound wave. We find that neuron-specific misexpression of TRP-4, the pore-forming subunit of a mechanotransduction channel, sensitizes neurons to ultrasound stimulus resulting in motor outputs. Furthermore, we use this approach to manipulate the function of sensory neurons and interneurons and identify a role for the PVD sensory neurons in modifying locomotory behaviors. We suggest this method can be broadly applied to manipulate cellular functions in vivo.

Exosomes found in the circulation are a primary source of important cancer-related RNA and protein biomarkers that are expected to lead to early detection, liquid biopsy, and point-of-care diagnostic applications. Unfortunately, due to their small size (50-150 nm) and low density, exosomes are extremely difficult to isolate from plasma. Current isolation methods are time-consuming multistep procedures that are unlikely to translate into diagnostic applications. To address this issue, we demonstrate the ability of an alternating current electrokinetic (ACE) microarray chip device to rapidly isolate and recover glioblastoma exosomes from undiluted human plasma samples. The ACE device requires a small plasma sample (30-50 μL) and is able to concentrate the exosomes into high-field regions around the ACE microelectrodes within 15 min. A simple buffer wash removes bulk plasma materials, leaving the exosomes concentrated on the microelectrodes. The entire isolation process and on-chip fluorescence analysis is completed in less than 30 min which enables subsequent on-chip immunofluorescence detection of exosomal proteins, and provides viable mRNA for RT-PCR analysis. These results demonstrate the ability of the ACE device to streamline the process for isolation and recovery of exosomes, significantly reducing the number of processing steps and time required.

Acoustic droplet vaporization of perfluorocarbon-loaded microbullets triggered by an ultrasound pulse provides the necessary force to penetrate, cleave, and deform cellular tissue for potential targeted drug delivery and precision nanosurgery.

The inherently toxic nature of chemotherapy drugs is essential for them to kill cancer cells but is also the source of the detrimental side effects experienced by patients. One strategy to reduce these side effects is to limit the healthy tissue exposure by encapsulating the drugs in a vehicle that demonstrates a very low leak rate in circulation while simultaneously having the potential for rapid release once inside the tumor. Designing a vehicle with these two opposing properties is the major challenge in the field of drug delivery. A triggering event is required to change the vehicle from its stable circulating state to its unstable release state. A unique mechanical actuation type trigger is possible by harnessing the size changes that occur when microbubbles interact with ultrasound. These mechanical actuations can burst liposomes and cell membranes alike allowing for rapid drug release and facilitating delivery into nearby cells. The tight focusing ability of the ultrasound to just a few cubic millimeters allows for precise control over the tissue location where the microbubbles destabilize the vehicles. This allows the ultrasound to highlight the tumor tissue and cause rapid drug release from any carrier present. Different vehicle designs have been demonstrated from carrying drug on just the surface of the microbubble itself to encapsulating the microbubble along with the drug within a liposome. In the future, nanoparticles may extend the circulation half-life of these ultrasound triggerable drug-delivery vehicles by acting as nucleation sites of ultrasound-induced mechanical actuation. In addition to the drug delivery capability, the microbubble size changes can also be used to create imaging contrast agents that could allow the internal chemical environment of a tumor to be studied to help improve the diagnosis and detection of cancer. The ability to attain truly tumor-specific release from circulating drug-delivery vehicles is an exciting future prospect to reduce chemotherapy side effects while increasing drug effectiveness.

Current chemotherapy regimens against pancreatic cancer are met with little success as poor tumor vascularization significantly limits the delivery of oncological drugs. High-dose targeted drug delivery, through which a drug delivery vehicle releases a large payload upon tumor localization, is thus a promising alternative strategy against this lethal disease. Herein, we synthesize anti-CEA halfantibody conjugated lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles and characterize their ligand conjugation yields, physicochemical properties, and targeting ability against pancreatic cancer cells. Under the same drug loading, the half-antibody targeted nanoparticles show enhanced cancer killing effect compared to the corresponding non-targeted nanoparticles.