Nycomed Imaging As

Ge Healthcare As

Roald Skurtveit

Jo Klaveness

Harald Dugstad

P&aring;l Rongved

Pangl Rongved

Per Antonius Foss

Morten Eriksen

Sigmund Frigstad

Lars Stubberud

Pål Rongved

Hanno Priebe

Lars Hoff

Audun Tornes

Jan Solberg

Jorunn Undheim Braenden

Jonny Østensen

Jorunn Br&aelig;nden

Jorunn Brænden

David Johnson

Inger Reidun Fjeldskaar Aukrust

Ultrasound contrast agents comprising microbubbles of biocompatible gas, e.g. a sulphur halide or a perfluorocarbon, stabilized by opsonisable amphiphilic material, e.g. a membrane-forming lipid such as a phospholipid, especially a negatively charged phospholipid such as a phosphatidylserine, may exhibit prolonged contrast-generating residence time in the liver following intravenous administration.

Contrast agents

Microparticulate contrast agents comprising gas or a gas precursor encapsulated by a non-polymeric and non-polymerisable wall-forming material are readily characterisable materials exhibiting surprising structural integrity and stability.

Dry microparticles for use as a contrast agent

Microbubble dispersions stabilised by phospholipids predominantly comprising molecules which individually have an overall net charge exhibit advantageous stability, rendering them useful as efficacious contrast agents. An improved process for preparing microbubble-containing contrast agents is also disclosed, this comprising lyophilising an aqueous dispersion of gas microbubbles stabilised by one or more membrane-forming lipids to yield a dried product which may be reconstituted in an injectable carrier liquid to generate a microbubble-containing contrast agent.

Microbubbles surrounded by a monolayer of negatively charged phospholipids as contrast agents

Microbubble dispersions stabilised by phospholipids predominantly comprising molecules which individually have an overall net charge exhibit advantageous stability, rendering them useful both as efficacious contrast agents per se and as intermediates in the preparation of contrast agents wherein the phospholipids are crosslinked or polymerised. An improved process for preparing microbubble-containing contrast agents is also disclosed, this comprising lyophilising an aqueous dispersion of gas microbubbles stabilised by one or more membrane-forming lipids to yield a dried product which may be reconstituted in an injectable carrier liquid to generate a microbubble-containing contrast agent.

Method of making lyophilized microbubble compositions useful as contrast agents

A contrast agent for use in diagnostic studies, particularly ultrasound imaging, comprising a dispersion in an injectable aqueous medium of a biocompatible azeotropic mixture which is in gaseous form at 37&deg; C., at least one component of said mixture being a halocarbon having a molecular weight of at least 100.

Contrast agents comprising an azeotropic mixture of two gases for ultrasound investigations

Ultrasound contrast agents having microbubbles of gas or a gas precursor encapsulated by non-proteinaceous crosslinked or polymerised amphiphilic moieties, e.g. in the form of micelles, exhibit good stability in vivo upon administration and may if desired incorporate biodegradable linkages so as to possess particular desired levels of biodegradability.

Microbubble-containing contrast agents having a non-proteinaceous

Novel extended polymer surfactants comprising a methoxy-terminated polyethylene glycol hydrophilic block acylated with a hydrophobic moiety comprising a chain of at least two fatty acid units, e.g. an acyloxyacyl group such as 16-hexadecanoyloxyhexadecanoyl, are useful in the preparation of polymer-based gas-containing contrast agents by emulsion techniques.

Polymeric surfactant-encapsulated microbubbles and their use in

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Oslo, Norway

Roald Skurtveit