Sense of release - Drugs could be monitored at the site of a disease with MRI

摘要

A MAJOR EUROPEAN project aimed at advancing image-guided drug-delivery techniques could improve the future treatment of illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Led by Royal Philips Electronics, the four-year SonoDrugs project intends to develop a minimally invasive treatment that will carry drugs to the site of disease and deliver them using ultrasound pulses (The Engineer, 15 October 2008). According to Philips, localising drug delivery in this way improves effectiveness and reduces the side effects associated with 'whole-body' dosing.