Polymeric perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions are ultrasound-activated wireless drug infusion catheters

Abstract

The holy grail of drug delivery nanotechnology is the ability to target the right drug to the right part of the body at the right time. Here, we demonstrate that polymeric perfluoropentane nanoemulsions are a generalized platform for targeted drug delivery with high potential for clinical translation. We delineate a production protocol optimized for nanoparticle size, monodispersity, drug loading, and stability, and hew to clinical production standards. We confirm that varied drugs may be effectively uncaged with ultrasound using this nanoparticle system, with drug loading increasing with hydrophobicity. Finally, we exhibit the in vivo efficacy of this system in two organ systems: we enable targeted modulation of brain activity with anesthetic uncaging and we locally control cardiovascular function with vasodilator uncaging. This work establishes the power of polymeric perfluoropentane nanoemulsions as a clinically-translatable platform for noninvasive ultrasonic drug uncaging for myriad targets in the brain and body.