{"id":"07315","slug":"non-invasive-microbubble--07315","source":{"id":"07315","dataset":"techtransfer","title":"Non-Invasive Microbubble-Ultrasound Imaging Reveals Capillary Stiffness for Early Microvascular Disease Detection","description_":"<p>This invention is a non-invasive method that uses ultrasound-driven microbubbles and ultra-high speed microscopic imaging to measure the elasticity of capillary blood vessels. By capturing microbubble oscillation and the resulting capillary wall deformation, the method calculates a elasticity value that can distinguish diseased (stiffer) capillaries from healthy ones without invasive cannulation or radioactive tracers.</p><p><h2>Description</h2>Unmet Need - Current microvascular disease assessment relies on invasive cardiac catheterization, radioactive isotopes, or arteriole-only cannulation techniques that cannot access capillaries, leaving capillary-level disease undetected; this technology enables direct, non-invasive quantification of capillary elasticity to close that gap.\r<br>\r<br>The method works by introducing a plurality of microbubbles into a biological tissue containing at least one capillary blood vessel, then exposing the microbubbles and vessel to an ultrasound pulse delivered by a transducer. As the microbubbles oscillate and expand under ultrasound exposure, they press against and deform the surrounding capillary wall a compliant (healthy) capillary deforms readily, while a stiff (diseased) capillary resists deformation. An ultra-high speed microscopic camera captures a time-stamped series of images of this interaction, which are processed to determine a capillary wall deformation stress and/or strain value. From these values, an elasticity measurement (expressed as Young's modulus) is calculated, providing a quantitative, non-invasive readout of capillary stiffness.\r<br>\r<br>A related embodiment extends this approach comparatively: by contacting microbubbles with two separate biological tissue samples (e.g., a diseased tissue and a healthy tissue) and oscillating both under the same ultrasound pulse, the method determines whether the capillary elasticity value of one tissue is higher than the other, enabling direct diseased-versus-healthy comparisons.</p><p><h2>Applications</h2>- Non-invasive diagnostic tool for evaluating capillary-level microvascular disease in biopsy-derived tissue samples\r<br>- Ex vivo research platform for comparing capillary elasticity between diseased and healthy tissue specimens\r<br>- In vivo microvascular assessment across multiple tissue types, including muscle, heart, lung, brain, kidney, and pancreas\r<br>- Treatment efficacy monitoring tool for tracking changes in capillary stiffness over the course of therapy\r<br>- Research and preclinical tool for studying microvascular disease progression in animal or biopsy models</p><p><h2>Advantages</h2>- Enables elasticity measurement of capillaries (5–15 µm), vessels too small for conventional cannulation-based methods\r<br>- Avoids invasive cannulation and radioactive isotope delivery required by current approaches\r<br>- Works with microbubbles sized equivalent to or smaller than the target capillary, allowing direct intravascular contact\r<br>- Captures time-stamped image series for precise, reproducible stress and strain determination\r<br>- Applicable to both ex vivo and in vivo tissue, and across multiple organ types, broadening its diagnostic and research utility</p><p><h2>Invention Readiness</h2>The technology has been demonstrated in vivo using a streptozotocin-induced Type 1 diabetic rat model, with intravital microscopy of cremaster muscle capillaries used to visualize microbubble oscillation and capillary wall deformation under ultrasound exposure. Data generated show that diabetic capillaries exhibit a significantly higher Young's modulus than healthy capillaries, along with distinct acoustic signatures that correlate with capillary stiffness. Further studies are needed to extend validation beyond the rat cremaster muscle model to additional tissue types and disease models, and to translate the approach toward clinical, human-relevant applications.</p><p><h2>IP Status</h2>Patent Pending</p><p></p>","tags":["Microscopy","Minimally invasive","Algorithm"],"file_number":"07315","collections":[{"key":517,"name":"Cardiometabolic"}],"meta_description":"Non-invasive ultrasound with microbubbles gauges capillary stiffness, enabling early microvascular disease detection and cross-tissue comparisons.","image_url":"","apriori_judge_output":"{\"scores\":{\"novelty\":4.0,\"potential_impact\":4.0,\"readiness\":3.0,\"scalability\":3.0,\"timeliness\":3.0},\"weighted_score\":3.55,\"risks\":[\"TRL 3 prototype; need in vivo human data\",\"manufacturability and regulatory pathway in medical device\",\"scaling ultrasound imaging with microbubbles to clinical workflows\",\"reproducibility across different vessels and tissues\",\"cost and integration with existing imaging systems\"],\"one_sentence_take\":\"High novelty with promising impact but modest readiness and scalability; substantial regulatory and translational hurdles remain before clinical adoption.\"}","lead_inventor_name":"Flordeliza Villanueva","lead_inventor_dept":"Med-Medicine","technology_type":"Medical Device","technology_subtype":"Diagnostic Imaging","therapeutic_areas":["Neuroscience","Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases"],"therapeutic_indications":["Dementia","Diabetes"],"custom_tags":[],"all_tech_innovators":["Xucai Chen","Sae Kyoung Jang","Flordeliza S. Villanueva M.D."],"date_submitted":"2025-08-29","technology_readiness_level":"3. Prototype development"},"highlight":{},"matched_queries":null,"score":0.0}