Ultrasound-mediated diagnostic imaging and advanced treatment with multifunctional micro/nanobubbles.

Ultrasound associated with ultrasound contrast agents has witnessed ever-growing innovations and applications for disease-targeted diagnosis and therapy. With these state-of-the-art technologies, brand-new invasive or minimally invasive treatments are on the way to be clinically translated. This mini-review focuses on the ultrasound and ultrasound-related micro/nanobubbles as multifunctional agents for drug/gene delivery and multi-modality treatments, e.g. photodynamic, sonodynamic and photothermal therapies in a precise and visualized manner.