Recent ultrasound advancements for the manipulation of nanobiomaterials and nanoformulations for drug delivery

Recent advances in ultrasound (US) have shown its great potential in biomedical applications as diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The coupling of ultrasound-assisted drug delivery systems with nanobiomaterials possessing tailor-made functions has been shown to remove the limitations of conventional drug delivery systems. The low-frequency ultrasound has significantly enhanced the targeted drug delivery effect and efficacy, reducing limitations posed by conventional treatments such as a limited therapeutic window. The acoustic cavitation effect induced by the ultrasound-mediated microbubbles (MBs) has been reported to replace drugs in certain acute diseases like ischemic stroke. This review briefly discusses the ultrasound principles, with particular attention to the recent advancements in drug delivery applications. Furthermore, ultrasound-assisted drug delivery coupled with nanobiomaterials to treat different diseases (cancer, neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, thrombosis and COVID-19) is discussed. Finally, this review covers the future perspectives and challenges on the applications of ultrasound-mediated nanobiomaterials.