ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how the use of biomaterials has advanced the development of novel nanoparticles as contrast agents for computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US). An essential role of medical imaging is the ability to discriminate between normal and diseased tissue. In the spectrum of available molecular imaging technologies, nuclear medicine, using either single-photon or positron-emitting tracers, provides the greatest sensitivity, with the ability to detect targets that are present at the nanomolar level. CT is an imaging modality in which x-rays are projected through the subject at different angles and the resulting data are then reconstructed into three-dimensional images. Micelles are single-layer vesicles that form spontaneously in surfactant solutions when the surfactant concentration exceeds the critical micelle concentration. The stability and mechanical strength of liposomes is based on a rigid bilayer that requires lipids with a high phase-transition temperature.
