Abstract
In this study, we purpose a covalently conjugated microbubbles couplingwith nucleic acid ligands, aptamers, for providing a higher specific affinityfor ultrasound targeting studies. The sgc8c aptamer was linked with bubblesthrough thiol-maleimide coupling chemistry for specific targeting to CCRF-CEMcells. Several investigations were used to discuss the performance andconsistency of the prepared bubbles, such as size distribution, conjugationefficiency analysis and flow cytometry assay. Further, we applied our conjugatedbubbles to ex-vivo ultrasound targeted imaging and compared with opticalimages. © 2010 IEEE.