Combining Ultrasound and Microbubbles/Nanobubbles for Enhancing the Effects of Cancer Therapies

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1041

Special Issue Editors

Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Interests: ultrasound; microbubble; nanodroplet; drug delivery; tumor microenvironment; immunotherapy; ischemia-reperfusion injury
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
Interests: ultrasound; radiation therapy; micro/nano-bubble; cancer therapeutics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, there are different types of treatments for cancer. Patients receive adjuvant therapies based on their cancer type. The combined side effects of these therapies can sometimes be detrimental; therefore, novel methods that can selectively increase the effectiveness of these therapies without add-on toxicity are of utmost importance. In recent years, ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles/nanobubbles have widely been explored for their non-invasive nature and the potential to enhance the effects of existing cancer therapies, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Microbubbles/nanobubbles, when exposed to ultrasound waves, undergo several phenomena, such as expansion, compression, and even collision, facilitating several bioeffects. Several studies suggest that ultrasound and microbubbles/nanobubbles, when combined with cancer therapies, can lead to an additive or synergistic tumor response. After marking its success in preclinical studies, ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles/nanobubbles combined with cancer therapies are underway to demonstrate its impact on early-stage clinical trials. 

This Special Issue aims to cover the latest findings of tumor enhancement using ultrasound-stimulated microbubbles/nanobubbles and existing cancer therapies.

Dr. Yi-Ju Ho
Dr. Deepa Sharma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ultrasound
  • immunotherapy
  • radiation therapy
  • chemotherapy
  • micro/nano-bubble
  • cancer therapeutics
  • drug delivery

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

12 pages, 2247 KB  
Review
A Review on the Structure-Response-Efficacy Optimization of Ultrasound-Responsive Micro/Nanobubbles for Cancer Therapy
by Yuting Yang, Yuan Cheng, Zhiguang Chen and Yanjun Liu
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(11), 1378; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17111378 - 24 Oct 2025
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Ultrasound-responsive micro/nanobubbles (MNBs) are promising tools for targeted cancer therapy due to their controllable acoustic activation and real-time imaging. Despite extensive research, the quantitative relationship between bubble structure, acoustic response, and therapeutic efficacy remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap hinders parametric design and [...] Read more.
Ultrasound-responsive micro/nanobubbles (MNBs) are promising tools for targeted cancer therapy due to their controllable acoustic activation and real-time imaging. Despite extensive research, the quantitative relationship between bubble structure, acoustic response, and therapeutic efficacy remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap hinders parametric design and clinical standardization. This review summarizes recent advances from an engineering perspective, highlighting how structural parameters—such as size, shell, gas core, and ligand density—affect acoustic sensitivity and drug release. Furthermore, the roles of microfluidic electroporation and cell membrane coating are discussed in terms of controllable fabrication and preservation of biological functions, highlighting their significance for reproducible and predictable therapies. In conclusion, this review establishes a “Structure-Response-Efficacy (S-R-E)” framework to summarize the core relationships between structural design and acoustic modulation. We propose an engineering strategy based on a standardized parameter system to guide the predictable design and clinical translation of ultrasound-based theranostic platforms. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop