Professor Branca and her co-workers’ research titled Low-boiling Point Perfluorocarbon Nanodroplets as Dual-Phase Dual-Modality MR/US Contrast Agent is the subject of a cover story in the 24/2022 issue of ChemPhysChem magazine.

Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are often combined to diagnose and treat cancer.  These two techniques use very different contrast agents to enhance detection sensitivity. With MRI, the researchers generally use gadolinium-based or iron oxide-based contrast agents that affect the rate at which nuclear spins lose their phase coherence or relax back to their thermal equilibrium state after inducing perturbation of their state with radiofrequency waves. These contrast agents are generally safe, but some individuals may negatively react to them. With ultrasound, the team use microbubbles, a biocompatible gas-phase contrast agent that effectively scatters ultrasound waves. Low boiling point perfluorocarbons (LBPF) based microbubbles are a new class of ultrasound contrast agents. These are delivered to the body in a nanodroplet liquid form and can then be vaporized into microbubbles with localized acoustic energy. In addition to providing ultrasound contrast when converted into microbubbles, they can be used for targeted delivery of oxygen and drugs to specific tissues.

In this publication, in collaboration with Paul Dayton from BME, Professor Branca and her co-workers demonstrated that this new class of contrast agent can also be detected with MRI by using spin-polarized xenon and a combination of cleverly select radiofrequency pulses that enhance the sensitivity of MRI to both its ultrasound-invisible nanodroplet liquid form as well as its ultrasound visible microbubble form, effectively making them a dual-phase dual-modality contrast agent for MRI and US.

ChemPhysChem showcases ground-breaking international research combining chemistry and physics. It is published on behalf of Chemistry Europe, an association of 16 European chemical societies.

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) National Office has awarded our local chapter the Outstanding Chapter Award. This is the chapter’s fifth consecutive award for excellence as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization, a designation given to less than 10% of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally.

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students, and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics (AIP), an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.

The UNC-CH SPS chapter is student-led and advised by Professor Andrew Mann. The Officers for 2021-2022 are: ​

• President: Giovani Leone B.S. Physics, ’22
• Vice President: Tyler Kay B.S. Physics, B.A. Philosophy, ’22
• Treasurer: Austin Blitstein B.S. Physics, B.S. Mathematics, Chemistry Minor, ’22
• Secretary: Ravi Pitelka B.S. Physics, B.A. Math, ’23
• Outreach Coordinator: Megan Pramojaney B.S. Physics, Creative Writing Minor, Applied Sciences and Engineering Minor, ’23
• Events Coordinator: Alex Stewart, B.S. Physics, B.S. Math, ’22
• Room Manager: Paul Buttles, B.S. Physics, B.A. Math, ’22; Stephen Schmidt B.S. Astrophysics, B.A. Math, ’22

SPS chapters are evaluated on their level of interaction with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public, and with SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award honors high levels of outreach as well as innovative approaches to SPS’s mission of “helping students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community.”