Magneto-acoustic protein nanostructures for non-invasive imaging of tissue mechanics in vivo

Measuring cellular and tissue mechanics inside intact living organisms is essential for interrogating the roles of force in physiological and disease processes. Current agents for studying the mechanobiology of intact, living organisms are limited by poor light penetration and material stability. Ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature materials 2024-02, Vol.23 (2), p.290-300
Main Authors: Kim, Whee-Soo, Min, Sungjin, Kim, Su Kyeom, Kang, Sunghwi, An, Soohwan, Criado-Hidalgo, Ernesto, Davis, Hunter, Bar-Zion, Avinoam, Malounda, Dina, Kim, Yu Heun, Lee, Jae-Hyun, Bae, Soo Han, Lee, Jin Gu, Kwak, Minsuk, Cho, Seung-Woo, Shapiro, Mikhail G, Cheon, Jinwoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Contrast agents
Diagnostic Imaging - methods
Light penetration
Mechanical properties
Mechanics
Mechanics (physics)
Medical imaging
Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles - chemistry
Nanostructure
Nanostructures
Nanotechnology
Proteins
Proteins - chemistry
Sensitivity
Signal strength
Tissues
Ultrasonic imaging
Vesicles
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Summary:Measuring cellular and tissue mechanics inside intact living organisms is essential for interrogating the roles of force in physiological and disease processes. Current agents for studying the mechanobiology of intact, living organisms are limited by poor light penetration and material stability. Magnetomotive ultrasound is an emerging modality for real-time in vivo imaging of tissue mechanics. Nonetheless, it has poor sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. Here we describe magneto-gas vesicles (MGVs), protein nanostructures based on gas vesicles and magnetic nanoparticles that produce differential ultrasound signals in response to varying mechanical properties of surrounding tissues. These hybrid nanomaterials significantly improve signal strength and detection sensitivity. Furthermore, MGVs enable non-invasive, long-term and quantitative measurements of mechanical properties within three-dimensional tissues and in vivo fibrosis models. Using MGVs as novel contrast agents, we demonstrate their potential for non-invasive imaging of tissue elasticity, offering insights into mechanobiology and its application to disease diagnosis and treatment.
ISSN:1476-1122
1476-4660
DOI:10.1038/s41563-023-01688-w