Drs. Chiang and Hui receive NIH Trailblazer Award to advance targeted cancer therapy using microbubbles

Dr. Jason Chiang and Dr. James Hui, both assistant professors of Radiological Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, have received a $630,000 Trailblazer Award from the National Institutes of Health to help support their work using a microbubble platform to detect and treat cancer using ultrasound energy.

Microbubbles are tiny, gas-filled spheres visible on ultrasound imaging and are already used as contrast agents in diagnostic imaging. When combined with tumor-targeting antibodies and cancer-fighting drugs, they can serve a dual purpose by helping clinicians both visualize and precisely treat tumors. However, that has been easier said than done, as there are currently major limitations to conventional drug and antibody conjugation methods. Conjugating antibodies has been known as an uncontrolled process, where it is unknown what orientation and location an antibody may bind to a microbubble. This can decrease the yield and functionality of the antibody-conjugated microbubble. More controlled methods of binding antibodies to the microbubble, known as “site-specific binding” can be harsh and often disrupt the integrity of the microbubbles. This conundrum has represented a major hurdle in the clinical translation of conjugated microbubbles. 

The UCLA team developed a method by which drugs and antibodies can be attached to microbubbles using light, such conjugation allows for a more gentle and site-specific way to label microbubbles. The funding will support the development and testing of these targeted, drug-loaded microbubbles in preclinical models of liver cancer. The team will evaluate how well the microbubbles bind to tumors, how much drug they deliver, and whether the treatment improves outcomes compared to standard approaches. 

To further improve precision, Chiang and Hui will use catheter-based techniques to deliver the microbubbles directly into the vessels feeding the tumor. They will then employ focused ultrasound to burst the microbubbles and release their drug payload exactly where it is needed, maximizing tumor intake and minimizing side effects. 

“By solving key challenges in antibody conjugation and delivery, we hope to open the door to a new generation of microbubble-based theranostics,” said Chiang. 

“This work has the potential to transform how we see and treat cancer — turning every diagnostic imaging session into an opportunity for targeted therapy.”

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Original article: "Drs. Chiang and Hui receive NIH Trailblazer Award to advance targeted cancer therapy using microbubbles"