Despite the increasing number of sophisticated drugs and the development of novel targeted strategies, therapeutic advances remain modest for many prevalent and costly diseases, like neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, among others. One of the major therapeutic hurdles is the presence of biological barriers in multiple organs, such as the blood-brain barrier, the gastro-intestinal barrier, or the blood-labyrinth barrier in the inner ear. While they sustain organ/tissue homeostasis in physiological conditions, these barriers substantially impede the delivery of a vast majority of drug molecules in diseased tissues, thus reducing their bioavailability and therapeutic effect. This challenge narrows the landscape of usable therapeutic molecules and drastically influences the design of many therapeutic strategies. Therefore crossing of biological barriers in drug studies is undoubtedly a source of major investments in Research and Development in academia and pharmaceutical industry.
For over two decades, therapeutic ultrasound applications facilitating drug/molecule delivery have been widely investigated, with some approaches being on the brink of reaching the bedside. Among these, using ultrasound-responsive particles injected systemically, e.g., microbubbles, to facilitate ultrasound-mediated, crossing of biological barriers has been shown to: 1) be applicable in a standardized and non-invasive fashion in laboratory animals and human subjects, and 2) render therapeutically-achievable drug/molecule biodistribution, supporting the clinical translatability of this modality.
While these advances foresee a “blue sky” in the field, like in many medical specialties, the translation gap remains challenging to evaluate. One may ask - to what extent is a successful pre-clinical study predictive of the outcome of its clinical counterpart? Before devising a clinical study, it is essential to boost chances of clinical success by conducting impactful preclinical studies that can inform clinical trial design and enable technology translation.
This special issue intends to promote original and review articles that will report on clinically-translatable findings shedding the light on biomedical advances in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery, from in silico studies to clinical frameworks.
While these advances foresee a “blue sky” in the field, like in many medical specialties, the translation gap remains challenging to evaluate. One may ask - to what extent is a successful pre-clinical study predictive of the outcome of its clinical counterpart? Before devising a clinical study, it is essential to boost chances of clinical success by conducting impactful preclinical studies that can inform clinical trial design and enable technology translation.
This Research Topic intends to promote original and review articles that will report on clinically-translatable findings shedding the light on biomedical advances in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery, from in silico studies to clinical frameworks. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts related but not limited to the following topics:
• In silico modelling in small animals and humans in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery; comparison of both in the same article is preferable
• Ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery studies with, preferably, results on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and resulting therapeutic effects
• In vitro studies that include drug exposures comparable to those observed in in vivo/clinical settings (in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery); comparison with in vivo data in the same investigation will be preferred
• Patient studies reporting on ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery
Despite the increasing number of sophisticated drugs and the development of novel targeted strategies, therapeutic advances remain modest for many prevalent and costly diseases, like neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, among others. One of the major therapeutic hurdles is the presence of biological barriers in multiple organs, such as the blood-brain barrier, the gastro-intestinal barrier, or the blood-labyrinth barrier in the inner ear. While they sustain organ/tissue homeostasis in physiological conditions, these barriers substantially impede the delivery of a vast majority of drug molecules in diseased tissues, thus reducing their bioavailability and therapeutic effect. This challenge narrows the landscape of usable therapeutic molecules and drastically influences the design of many therapeutic strategies. Therefore crossing of biological barriers in drug studies is undoubtedly a source of major investments in Research and Development in academia and pharmaceutical industry.
For over two decades, therapeutic ultrasound applications facilitating drug/molecule delivery have been widely investigated, with some approaches being on the brink of reaching the bedside. Among these, using ultrasound-responsive particles injected systemically, e.g., microbubbles, to facilitate ultrasound-mediated, crossing of biological barriers has been shown to: 1) be applicable in a standardized and non-invasive fashion in laboratory animals and human subjects, and 2) render therapeutically-achievable drug/molecule biodistribution, supporting the clinical translatability of this modality.
While these advances foresee a “blue sky” in the field, like in many medical specialties, the translation gap remains challenging to evaluate. One may ask - to what extent is a successful pre-clinical study predictive of the outcome of its clinical counterpart? Before devising a clinical study, it is essential to boost chances of clinical success by conducting impactful preclinical studies that can inform clinical trial design and enable technology translation.
This special issue intends to promote original and review articles that will report on clinically-translatable findings shedding the light on biomedical advances in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery, from in silico studies to clinical frameworks.
While these advances foresee a “blue sky” in the field, like in many medical specialties, the translation gap remains challenging to evaluate. One may ask - to what extent is a successful pre-clinical study predictive of the outcome of its clinical counterpart? Before devising a clinical study, it is essential to boost chances of clinical success by conducting impactful preclinical studies that can inform clinical trial design and enable technology translation.
This Research Topic intends to promote original and review articles that will report on clinically-translatable findings shedding the light on biomedical advances in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery, from in silico studies to clinical frameworks. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts related but not limited to the following topics:
• In silico modelling in small animals and humans in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery; comparison of both in the same article is preferable
• Ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery studies with, preferably, results on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and resulting therapeutic effects
• In vitro studies that include drug exposures comparable to those observed in in vivo/clinical settings (in ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery); comparison with in vivo data in the same investigation will be preferred
• Patient studies reporting on ultrasound-mediated drug/molecule delivery