# Development of Nanosensors to Image Macrophage Polarization

> **NIH NIH R56** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2021 · $497,285

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of cardiovascular disease in which atherosclerotic
plaque builds up within the arteries of the body. PAD reduces blood flow to the extremities and can
progress to critical limb ischemia (CLI) and, ultimately, loss of limb. Revascularization procedures are
commonly used to salvage the ischemic tissue, and while they restore blood flow, the reperfusion of
tissues induces additional injury, resulting in severe inflammation and oxidative damage that can
contribute to a cycle of further damage and disease. Recent preclinical studies have therefore evaluated
drug therapies in combination with revascularization in order to control the inflammatory cascade. In
order to understand disease progression and subsequent healing, it is critically important to be able to
visualize inflammatory processes in situ. In particular, inflammatory cells such as macrophages exhibit
multiple, competing phenotypic states depending on their local, transient microenvironment. It would
therefore be ideal to non-invasively image macrophage phenotypic changes over time as a result of
disease or healing progression. Current imaging approaches have either low sensitivity or spatial
resolution, or both. Therefore, there is a need for non-invasive real-time imaging of macrophages in vivo
with high sensitivity, specificity, depth penetration and resolution.
 Our group has developed nanoparticle-augmented combined ultrasound and photoacoustic
(US/PA) imaging which has advantages over current imaging approaches. In particular, US/PA imaging
can help to visualize and monitor a highly orchestrated set of events in inflammation ranging from
milliseconds to days. High-resolution imaging of tissue is possible, and signals can be acquired over a
reasonably large volumetric region of interest, permitting 3D visualization of tissue structures. Finally,
using non-toxic, biocompatible nanoconstructs consisting of optical dyes, gold nanoparticles, and other
biocompatible materials, cellular and molecular US-guided PA imaging is possible. Therefore, US/PA
imaging with the appropriate nanosensors has the potential to become an important tool of sufficient
sensitivity and specificity for studying inflammation in general and macrophage polarization in particular.
The overall goal of this proposal is to develop and test a unique suite of nanoparticle-based probes that
are sensitive to macrophage polarization state and can be visualized in vivo using high-resolution,
multiplex US/PA imaging.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10460691
- **Project number:** 1R56EB032211-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura J Suggs
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $497,285
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-03 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10460691

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10460691, Development of Nanosensors to Image Macrophage Polarization (1R56EB032211-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10460691. Licensed CC0.

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