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US 10,588,988 B2Granted
Methods and devices for preparation of ultrasound contrast agents
AssigneeLantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.
InventorsSimon P. Robinson, Carol Walker, David C. Onthank, Joel Lazewatsky, Nhung Tuyet Nguyen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided herein are methods and devices for identifying and/or distinguishing UCA formulations and specifically activating such formulations to produce UCA suitable for in vivo use.
Claims28
A method of using lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres for ultrasound imaging comprising:
- placing a vial comprising an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) lipid formulation in a shaking device comprising a holder, a detector and a processor;
- determining identity of the UCA lipid formulation as either a non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation or an aqueous UCA lipid formulation based on an indicator on the vial that is read by the detector;
- selecting a shaking rate and duration from pre-set options for non-aqueous and aqueous formulations using the processor;
- activating the identified UCA lipid formulation to form lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres, by imparting a shaking pattern at the selected shaking rate and for the selected duration, using the shaking device;
- administering the lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres to a subject;
- and
- obtaining an ultrasound image of the subject;
- wherein the aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises DPPA, DPPC and MPEG5000-DPPE in an aqueous solvent, and a gas,
- wherein the non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises DPPA, DPPC and MPEG5000-DPPE in a non-aqueous solvent comprising propylene glycol and glycerol, and a gas, and having less than 5% water (w/w),
- wherein the detector is an RFID reader, a barcode scanner, a color scanner, or a microchip reader, and
- wherein the pre-set options comprise a shaking duration of at least 30 seconds.
8 more elements
A method of using lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres for ultrasound imaging comprising:
- placing a vial comprising an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) lipid formulation and associated indicator in a shaking device, wherein the device comprises a holder, a detector, one or more controllers and a processor,
- reading the indicator on the vial using the detector, and identifying the vial as comprising a non-aqueous or an aqueous UCA lipid formulation based on the indicator and optionally lookup table stored in the device,
- selecting a set of activation parameters for the identified UCA lipid formulation from a first set of activation parameters for a non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation and a second set of activation parameters for an aqueous UCA lipid formulation, as programmed in the device, using the processor,
- activating the identified UCA lipid formulation to form lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres, using the selected set of activation parameters specific to the identified UCA lipid formulation using the one or more controllers, wherein activating comprises imparting a shaking pattern on the vial,
- administering the lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres to a subject, and
- obtaining an ultrasound image of the subject,
- wherein the aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises DPPA, DPPC and MPEG5000-DPPE in an aqueous solvent, and a gas,
- wherein the non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises DPPA, DPPC and MPEG5000-DPPE in a non-aqueous solvent comprising propylene glycol and glycerol, and a gas, and having less than 5% water (w/w),
- wherein the detector is an RFID detector, a barcode scanner, a color scanner, or a microchip reader, and
- wherein the first and the second set of activation parameters comprise a shaking time of at least 30 seconds.
7 more elements
A method of using lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres for ultrasound imaging comprising:
- placing a vial comprising an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) lipid formulation and associated indicator in a shaking device, wherein the device comprises a holder, a detector and a processor,
- reading the indicator using the detector, and thereby distinguishing a non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation requiring activation for a first pre-determined period of time that is at least about 30 seconds and/or at a first pre-determined shaking rate that is at least 3000 shaking motions per minute from an aqueous UCA lipid formulation requiring activation for a different pre-determined period of time and/or a different pre-determined shaking rate;
- activating the non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation, by imparting a shaking pattern using the shaking device, for the first pre-determined period of time and/or at the first pre-determined shaking rate to form lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres;
- administering the lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres to a subject;
- and
- obtaining an ultrasound image of the subject;
- wherein the detector is an RFID detector, a barcode scanner, a color scanner, or a microchip reader, and
- wherein the non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises less than 5% water (w/w).
5 more elements
A method of using lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres for ultrasound imaging comprising:
- placing a vial comprising an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) lipid formulation in a shaking device comprising a holder, a detector, and a processor,
- determining identity of the UCA lipid formulation as a non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation based at least in part on an indicator on the vial that is read by the detector,
- selecting a shaking rate and duration from pre-set options for a non-aqueous formulation using the processor,
- activating the identified UCA lipid formulation to form lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres, by imparting a shaking pattern at the selected shaking rate and for the selected duration, using the shaking device,
- administering the lipid-encapsulated gas microspheres to a subject;
- and
- obtaining an ultrasound image of the subject;
- wherein the detector is an RFID detector, a barcode scanner, a color scanner, or a microchip reader, and
- wherein the non-aqueous UCA lipid formulation comprises less than 5% water (w/w).
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.