Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Barrier-busting Bubbles
31 December 2016

Barrier-busting Bubbles

'Tis the season of champagne quaffing, and while it’s a well-known fact that bubbles of the alcoholic variety go rapidly to a person’s head (I write from experience), it’s a lesser-known fact that bubbles of the medical variety (pictured) are also excellent at getting to the brain – specifically at delivering brain-targeted medications. The brain is difficult to access, medically speaking, because the blood-brain barrier – a specialsed lining of the brain’s blood vessels that prevents bacteria and viruses from entering – also blocks most drugs. Scientists are investigating ways to bypass the barrier, and one recent method under review is microbubbles with focused ultrasound. After drug-loaded microbubbles are injected into the blood, sound waves are directed at blood vessels in the brain making the bubbles jiggle erratically – like merry employees at an office Christmas disco. The jiggling bubbles then temporarily break down the barrier and release their contents into the brain.

Written by Ruth Williams

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.