Miniature Ultrasound Devices for Imaging and Delivering Drugs to the Gastrointestinal Tract

Ultrasound is used in many medical applications, such as imaging, liposuction, kidney stone disruption, and tumor ablation. Ultrasonic devices are constantly advancing, becoming smaller and more precise. Focusing ultrasonic waves to diseased tissues is opening new horizons for improved treatments such as enhanced drug delivery. The talk will describe the development of drug-loaded nanoparticles that can be ultrasonically-triggered to release a medicine in tumors. The evolution of ultrasonic devices into miniature systems, used for enhancing drug delivery to specific tissues, and their potential in treating diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, will be discussed.