How would MR-guided focused ultrasound transform the delivery of drugs?
The current methods of delivering drugs are not selective. As a result, the potency of the drug has to be reduced to minimize its systemic impact on surrounding tissue as it circulates toward its target. MR-guided focused ultrasound could potentially be used to release drugs at their target. Drugs would be encapsulated in fat molecules, enclosed in tiny bubbles, or bound to nanoparticles and injected into the body. These delivery vehicles would be stable at normal body temperatures, releasing their payload only when subject to the heat or vibration of focused ultrasound. Using MR-guided focus ultrasound, physicians could deliver therapies – including antibiotics, chemotherapy agents, genes, or growth factors – in much higher concentrations at the exact tissue site where they are needed, without the systemic toxicity associated with current methods.
