Composition and methods for sensitive molecular analysis
AssigneeTrust Bio-sonics Inc.
InventorsJoshua Rychak, Shih-Tsung Kang, ChungHsin Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for ascertaining the presence of target-bound microbubbles in the context of ultrasound molecular imaging is taught. This method, referred to herein as dynamic scaling ultrasound molecular imaging, relies upon the time-varying behavior contrast agents within a region expressing a molecular imaging target and that within a reference region. Ultrasound contrast agents compositions that enable use of the method are also taught. The method is useful for the use of ultrasound molecular imaging in diagnosing and monitoring treatment.
Claims17
A method for quantifying magnitude of a contrast signal within a region of interest (ROI), the method comprises administering to a target tissue of a subject a targeted contrast agent to image presence of one or more targeted molecular markers of disease;
- selecting a reference region representative of an amount of the contrast agent circulating within a blood pool in a dynamic scaling, time-varying manner;
- imaging said target tissue including the selected reference region;
- determining magnitude quantitatively of an area of disease by said dynamic scaling, time-varying manner procedure wherein said targeted contrast agent is configured to be bound to said one or more molecular markers of disease expressed within a diseased region wherein said dynamic scaling, time-varying manner procedure comprises
- a. providing a time series of images depicting a single field of view,
- b. selecting one or more regions of interest and one or more corresponding reference regions,
- c. forming a reference-scaled image, and/or a reference-scaled signal magnitude in which the region of interest and reference region are obtained at the same instant in the time series,
- d. performing the scaling operation of (c) on two or more images in the time series to determine a time-intensity relationship of the reference-scaled signal magnitude quantitatively;
- wherein the reference-scaled signal increases in the diseased region and decreases in a non-diseased region.
A dynamic scaling, time-varying manner procedure used to determine the levels of an interested molecular marker configured to be bound to a contrast agent in a target tissue comprises
- a. capturing a series of images of the target tissue over time,
- b. choosing a region of interest within the images that has targeted contrast agent signals,
- c. choosing a reference region of interest within the images that doesn't have targeted contrast agent signals but has circulating contrast agent signals,
- d. using the signal intensities of the reference region to scale the signal magnitudes from the region of interest at each time points;
- e. creating reference-scaled images or magnitudes of the target tissue in the different time points, and
- f. using the reference-scaled images or magnitudes to determine the levels of the interested molecular marker in the target tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.