Patent ID: 9011819
Filing Date: 2015-04-21
Classification: A61B,A61K,A61N,G16H

Abstract:
1. An injectable microbubble optical imaging contrast agent composition comprising a gas core encapsulated by a monolayer shell, said shell consisting of two shell-forming surfactants, a first shell-forming surfactant and a second shell-forming surfactant having a higher water solubility than said first shell-forming surfactant, an anchor molecule attached to said shell at the gas-shell interface and an optically-active probe, said probe being detectable by fluorescence, near-infrared, bioluminescence, or other optical imaging methods and incorporated into the shell of the microbubble, immobilized on the surface of the shell, or attached to the microbubble shell on the distal tip of a polymer tether, wherein said probe emits light over one or more wavelengths between 200-1000 nm, wherein said first shell-forming surfactant is present in the shell in a moles/moles ratio of 50-75%, relative to other shell components, wherein said second shell-forming surfactant is present in the shell in a moles/moles ratio of 15-50%, relative to other shell components and wherein said probe is present in the shell in a moles/moles ratio of 0.1-10%, relative to other shell components.