28 Aug 18. Prof Carmel Moran

Professor Carmel Moran, Director of the Preclinical Ultrasound Imaging Facility, discusses her research into the development and use of contrast microbubbles for diagnostic and therapy applications.

 

Transcript – Prof Carmel Moran, 2018

"Hello, my name is Professor Carmel Moran, and I’m a physicist and Director of the Preclinical Ultrasound Imaging Facility at the University of Edinburgh.

My particular area of interest and research is the development and translational ultrasound imaging and therapy techniques from preclinical to clinical applications.

One particular research project I am working on is the development and use of contrast microbubbles for diagnostic and therapy applications. By attaching targeting ligands onto the surface of these contrast microbubbles, we can encourage them to attach to specific biological markers expressed on vessel walls. Additionally, if these microbubbles are insonated at sufficiently high acoustic pressures, they can be forced to collapse generating very high sheer stresses and micro jets. This phenomena is very localised, and my group and others have shown this technique can be used effectively to break down the blood brain barrier, a barrier which protects the healthy brain, but also prohibits the vast majority of drugs that are used to treat tumours and brain disorders.

My research focuses on the determination of the acoustic physical parameters which control the size and duration of the blood brain barrier opening."

 

Relevant links

 

Relevant Edinburgh Imaging publications

 

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