# Multiplex Ultrasound Imaging for the Detection of Head and Neck Lymph Node Micrometastases

> **NIH NIH R01** · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE · 2024 · $582,234

## Abstract

Project Summary
Determining whether a tumor has spread to the regional lymph nodes is critical for staging and treatment planning
for several types of cancer, including cancers of the head and neck. This determination is routinely performed
surgical removal of regional nodes for cancers of the head & neck. While widely accepted and proven to be
effective for tumor staging and limiting the further spread of the disease, surgical removal of lymph nodes can
lead to morbidity and small metastatic deposits may remain undetected due to pathological sampling error. Thus,
patients who undergo the procedure may receive a suboptimal treatment plan. In this project, we will develop a
noninvasive ultrasound-based molecular imaging tool to identify micrometastases in the lymphatics. We will
develop perfluorocarbon nanodroplet contrast agents targeted to cell surface receptors via directional
conjugation of antibodies. We will synthesize two classes of nanodroplets, each with a different boiling point and
molecular target. One nanodroplet formulation will be targeted to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
to enable molecular detection of cancer cells, while the other will be untargeted to act as a delivery control.
Based on the phase-change behavior visualized in ultrasound images, we will differentiate between the EGFR-
targeted nanodroplets and the nonspecific control. Then, we will apply ratiometric and kinetic modeling strategies
to use the different accumulation patterns to highlight regions with small metastases. The nanodroplets and
imaging methods will be tested in polyacrylamide phantoms before the dual tracer design is applied to a small
animal model of head and neck cancer metastasis. The overall result will be a method that can detect small
pockets of metastases in the lymphatics several centimeters deep in tissue.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10980700
- **Project number:** 1R01DE033175-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Geoffrey P. Luke
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $582,234
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-19 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10980700

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10980700, Multiplex Ultrasound Imaging for the Detection of Head and Neck Lymph Node Micrometastases (1R01DE033175-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10980700. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*