CPC A61N 7/02 (2013.01) [A61K 31/7048 (2013.01); A61K 41/0033 (2013.01); A61K 41/0042 (2013.01); A61N 5/062 (2013.01); A61N 5/067 (2021.08); A61B 5/0095 (2013.01); A61N 2005/0627 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0004 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0082 (2013.01)] | 11 Claims |
1. A cancer treatment method using ultrasound energy for targeted drug delivery, the method comprising the steps of:
administering a plurality of nanocarriers to a patient in need thereof so as to target a tumor in the patient, the administered nanocarriers containing an anti-tumor medication; and
exciting the nanocarriers in a first non-thermal ultrasound mode and/or a second thermal ultrasound mode using an ultrasound source that generates a non-thermal ultrasonic wave and/or a thermal ultrasonic wave so as to release the anti-tumor medication from one or more of the plurality of nanocarriers at a site of the tumor;
wherein the ultrasound source is a therapeutic ultrasound transducer; and
wherein the step of exciting the nanocarriers further comprises exciting the nanocarriers using the therapeutic ultrasound transducer in the first non-thermal ultrasound mode, the therapeutic ultrasound transducer emitting pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (pHIFU) for mechanical excitation of the plurality of nanocarriers in the first non-thermal ultrasound mode so as to release the anti-tumor medication from the nanocarriers by rupturing membranes of the nanocarriers and/or peeling a polymer coating off the nanocarriers.
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