Listening to Immunotherapy - Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging Strategies to Guide and Enhance Cancer Treatments.

IF 2.5 4区医学 Q2 RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING

Molecular Imaging and Biology Pub Date : 2026-08-06 DOI:10.1007/s11307-026-02126-4

Muskan Aslam, Khadijatul Kobra, Dhanya S Sriram, Allan B Cheng, Kelsey P Kubelick

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Abstract

Immunotherapies are transformative strategies in modern oncology, utilizing the body's own immune system to stimulate and enhance the antitumor immune response. Successful immunotherapies require precise delivery, real-time monitoring of immune reactions, and flexible treatment strategies that can adapt to patient-specific complexities. These conditions underscore the need for noninvasive, longitudinal imaging approaches to understand therapy progress and maximize response towards precision immunotherapies. Photoacoustic (PA) imaging, especially when integrated with ultrasound (US), is a powerful modality that is gaining momentum in the immunoimaging space. PA imaging enables label-free assessment of functional biological parameters using endogenous chromophores, while engineered exogenous contrast agents extend its capabilities for molecular and cellular imaging towards theranostic applications. These advances allow visualization of immune activity, therapeutic distribution, and treatment-induced microenvironmental changes in real-time. In this review, we focus on the integral role of US/PA imaging in guiding, optimizing, and advancing cancer immunotherapy. This review begins by outlining label-free imaging techniques and the use of exogenous contrast agents as theranostic nanoplatforms in cancer immunotherapies. Following this foundation, we explore US/PA imaging in immunotherapies, emphasizing photoimmunotherapy, adoptive cell immunotherapy, immune checkpoint blockade, and focused ultrasound mediated immunomodulation. Additionally, we highlight complementary multimodal imaging approaches that expand the scope of US/PA guided immunotherapy. Finally, we address key translational challenges, emerging innovations, and future directions for translating US/PA into routine clinical practice.

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聆听免疫疗法-超声和光声成像策略指导和加强癌症治疗。

免疫疗法是现代肿瘤学的变革性策略，利用人体自身的免疫系统来刺激和增强抗肿瘤免疫反应。成功的免疫疗法需要精确的递送，实时监测免疫反应，以及能够适应患者特异性复杂性的灵活治疗策略。这些情况强调了对无创纵向成像方法的需求，以了解治疗进展并最大限度地提高对精确免疫治疗的反应。光声（PA）成像，特别是与超声（US）结合时，是一种强大的模式，在免疫成像领域正在获得动力。PA成像能够使用内源性发色团对功能生物学参数进行无标记评估，而工程外源性造影剂将其分子和细胞成像能力扩展到治疗应用。这些进步使得免疫活性、治疗分布和治疗引起的微环境变化的实时可视化成为可能。在这篇综述中，我们将重点介绍US/PA成像在指导、优化和推进癌症免疫治疗中的重要作用。这篇综述首先概述了无标记成像技术和外源性造影剂作为癌症免疫治疗的治疗纳米平台的使用。在此基础上，我们探讨了US/PA成像在免疫治疗中的应用，重点是光免疫治疗、过继细胞免疫治疗、免疫检查点阻断和聚焦超声介导的免疫调节。此外，我们强调了互补的多模态成像方法，扩大了US/PA引导免疫治疗的范围。最后，我们讨论了将US/PA转化为常规临床实践的关键转化挑战、新兴创新和未来方向。

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来源期刊

Molecular Imaging and Biology 医学-核医学

CiteScore

6.90

自引率

3.20%

发文量

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Molecular Imaging and Biology (MIB) invites original contributions (research articles, review articles, commentaries, etc.) on the utilization of molecular imaging (i.e., nuclear imaging, optical imaging, autoradiography and pathology, MRI, MPI, ultrasound imaging, radiomics/genomics etc.) to investigate questions related to biology and health. The objective of MIB is to provide a forum to the discovery of molecular mechanisms of disease through the use of imaging techniques. We aim to investigate the biological nature of disease in patients and establish new molecular imaging diagnostic and therapy procedures. Some areas that are covered are: Preclinical and clinical imaging of macromolecular targets (e.g., genes, receptors, enzymes) involved in significant biological processes. The design, characterization, and study of new molecular imaging probes and contrast agents for the functional interrogation of macromolecular targets. Development and evaluation of imaging systems including instrumentation, image reconstruction algorithms, image analysis, and display. Development of molecular assay approaches leading to quantification of the biological information obtained in molecular imaging. Study of in vivo animal models of disease for the development of new molecular diagnostics and therapeutics. Extension of in vitro and in vivo discoveries using disease models, into well designed clinical research investigations. Clinical molecular imaging involving clinical investigations, clinical trials and medical management or cost-effectiveness studies.