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Sonovue (Lumason / Sonovue / BR1)

✓ Approved

Bracco · Small Molecule · Small Molecule

What is Sonovue?

Sonovue is a small molecule developed by Bracco. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or intravenous (iv).

Drug Profile

Brand NamesLumason, Sonovue, BR1
CompanyBracco
Drug ClassSmall Molecule, Imaging Agents
RouteInjectable (Others), Intravenous (IV)
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Bracco

Therapeutic Indications

Sonovue is developed for 3 unique indications across 3 therapeutic areas.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Cardiac disordersArteriosclerosis coronary artery✓ Approved
InvestigationsBlood pressure increased✓ Approved
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)Uterine cancer✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedQuantitative imaging in medicine and surgery2026-11-08

Quantitative perfusion analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion: an experimental study in rabbit VX2 liver tumors.

Zhang Qian Q, Liu Zhilong Z, Lu Qin Q, Zhang Yanjing Y et al.

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a critical risk factor for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, reliable noninvasive preoperative prediction remains challenging. This study aimed to investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in evaluating MVI in rabbit VX2 liver tumors. Twenty healthy New Zealand rabbits were selected and used to establish VX2 liver tumor models. After 2 weeks, all models underwent conventional ultrasonography and CEUS with SonoVue (Bracco). We plotted time-intensity curves (TICs) to derive quantitative parameters, including mean intensity of the TIC (mTIC), peak intensity (PI), arrival time (AT), rise time (RT), time to peak (TTP), flow-out time (FT), and mean transit time (mTT). Based on histological diagnosis, tumors were classified into MVI and non-MVI groups. We compared the two groups in terms of the differences between VX2 tumors and the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. (I) Histological examination confirmed that 39 VX2 liver tumor models were successfully established in rabbits, with a tumor inoculation success rate of 97.50%. Among these, MVI was identified in 21 VX2 tumors. (II) Compared to tumors in the non-MVI group, those in the MVI group exhibited a larger diameter (P=0.01). Quantitative CEUS analysis revealed that the MVI group, compared to a non-MVI group, had a higher mTIC and PI (P=0.02 and P<0.001, respectively) and a shorter AT and TTP (both P values =0.03). (III) The RT of VX2 tumors was shorter than that of the surrounding liver parenchyma in both the MVI and non-MVI groups (P=0.002 and P=0.047, respectively). In the MVI group, the AT and TTP of the tumors were shorter (P=0.049 and P<0.001, respectively) while the PI was higher compared to the adjacent parenchyma (P=0.01). (IV) Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the PI achieved the highest diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve of 0.79 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-0.93]. Quantitative CEUS parameters provide crucial information for evaluating MVI in VX2 liver tumors. These findings constitute experimental evidence that supports the clinical assessment of tumor aggressiveness.

PMID 42997938
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PubMedBiophysical journal2026-11-06

Ultrasound cavitation triggered formation of intracellular stress granules.

Cao Jing J, Song Mengyu M, Zhang Wenqiang W, Zheng Yinuo Y et al.

Ultrasound cavitation has potential applications in drug delivery and cancer therapy, but the cellular responses to its mechanical and chemical effects remain incompletely understood. Stress granules (SGs) are cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein condensates assembled during stress. This study investigated SG formation, associated signaling responses, and changes in cell viability following microbubble-assisted ultrasound exposure. Human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells were exposed to ultrasound generated by a Mettler Sonicator 740 in the presence of SonoVue microbubbles. G3BP1-positive condensates were detectable in the first images acquired after exposure, and SGs were observed at sampled time points up to 24 h. G3BP1 fluorescence recovered by approximately 60%-80% within the FRAP observation window, similar in magnitude to the approximately 70% recovery measured in SGs induced by 300 μM sodium arsenite for 30 min in the same cell line. Cavitation was accompanied by reduced protein synthesis and increased phosphorylation of eIF2α, PKR, and PERK. ISRIB reduced SG accumulation and improved CCK-8 readouts, whereas G3BP1 knockdown did not reproduce this beneficial effect. These findings revealed that ultrasound cavitation could induce the formation of persistent, stress granules within cells.

PMID 42989720
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PubMedUltrasonic imaging2026-10-28

Ultrasonic Nonlinear Contrast-Enhanced Imaging Using Chirp-Coded Excitation and Volterra Filtering.

Dhawan Ruchika R, Trivedi Vishwas V, Shukla Halak H, Mercado-Shekhar Karla P KP et al.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging relies on nonlinear microbubble signatures for improved visualization of perfused regions. This study aims to enhance the detection of ultrasound contrast agent perfused regions by integrating chirp-coded excitation with nonlinear signal processing. In vitro experiments were conducted in a flow phantom and ex ovo in a chicken embryo using the commercial contrast agent SonoVue. Data were acquired across a range of agent concentrations, excitation pressures, and imaging depths. Radio frequency data were processed using fundamental and subharmonic matched filtering, followed by beamforming, singular value decomposition (SVD)-based clutter suppression, and cubic Volterra filtering. Imaging performance was quantified using contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) and axial width measurements. The combined approach of subharmonic matched filtering, SVD, and cubic Volterra filtering resulted in substantial improvements in CTR, with gains of up to 50 dB compared to SVD-enhanced subharmonic imaging across experimental conditions. Improvements were maintained at increased imaging depths, demonstrating robustness to attenuation. Experiments in the chicken embryo model showed an enhanced visualization of perfused structures. The integration of chirp-coded subharmonic excitation with SVD and Volterra filtering improves ultrasound contrast agent imaging performance. Significance: The proposed framework offers potential for advancing contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, including for deep targets and low signal-to-noise conditions.

PMID 42947520
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PubMedJournal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology2026-10-25

Contrast-enhanced echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular wall measurements in cats.

Novo Matos J J, Harding I I, Partington C C

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is defined by increased left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT), making accurate measurement essential. Contrast-enhanced echocardiography (C-ECHO) improves myocardial border delineation. We aimed to evaluate whether C-ECHO provides more reliable LVWT measurements in cats than standard echocardiography (S-ECHO). Forty-five cats (32 with an LVWT <6 mm and 13 with an LVWT ≥6 mm) were prospectively enrolled in the study. Two-dimensional right parasternal short-axis images were acquired before and after contrast administration (SonoVue: 0.05 mL/kg [0.04-0.14 mL/kg]). Septal and posterior wall thickness values were measured using both modalities. Agreement and reliability were assessed using Bland-Altman analysis, Kappa statistics, and intraclass correlation coefficients. Left ventricular wall thickness was greater with S-ECHO than C-ECHO (maximal LVWT: 5.0 mm [2.8-9.5 mm] vs. 4.2 mm [2.5-8.9 mm], P < 0.0001). On average, the LVWT measured by S-ECHO was 0.61 mm greater than that obtained by C-ECHO. Agreement between S-ECHO and C-ECHO for HCM diagnosis was only moderate (Kappa: 0.50). The Bland-Altman analysis showed fixed biases and wide 95% limits of agreement (LoA) for LVWT (septum: bias: 0.8 mm, LoA: -0.7-2.3 mm; posterior wall: bias: 0.4 mm, LoA: -1.1-2.0 mm). Contrast-enhanced echocardiography demonstrated higher measurement reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.99 vs. 0.96). A low-mechanical index preset was not used, and measurements were not timed using an electrocardiogram (ECG). Standard echocardiography seems to overestimate LVWT compared to C-ECHO, consistent with findings reported in human studies. Contrast-enhanced echocardiography improves measurement reliability. These findings support its use to enhance HCM assessment in cats.

PMID 42925801
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PubMedJournal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine2026-10-15

Microbubble Timing and Vascular Geometry Are Associated With Vessel-Level Blood-Brain Barrier Opening During Focused Ultrasound.

Park Seongdong S, Lee Hyemin H, Choi Seunghwan S, Park Juyoung J et al.

To examine whether minute-scale microbubble handling and injection-to-sonication timing are associated with vessel-level focused ultrasound (FUS)-mediated blood-brain barrier opening (BBBO), and whether control normalization improves longitudinal 2-photon (2P) measurements. Cranial-windowed mice received FITC-dextran (40 kDa) and SonoVue microbubbles by retro-orbital injection, followed by 1.0 MHz FUS at 0.2-0.4 MPa. Two-photon stacks were acquired over 0-15 minutes. Frangi vesselness and Otsu thresholding defined vessel masks and a perivascular ring for extravasation analysis. Three timing conditions were compared: standard (injection within ~5 seconds of reconstitution, sonication immediately); Microbubble Floating (microbubbles held 2 minutes before injection); and Sonication Delay (sonication started 2 minutes after injection). Per-mouse AUC used 2-way ANOVA; slice-level vessel-area dependence used a linear mixed-effects model with mouse as a random intercept. Control intravascular fluorescence decreased by ~24% over 15 minutes, showing that the intravascular signal is not a stable denominator; control-normalized extravascular AUC was therefore the primary metric. Under the standard protocol, extravascular AUC peaked at 0.3 MPa, but the across-pressure difference was not significant (F(2,6) = 3.36, p = .105). Timing effects were descriptive: relative to standard, both Microbubble Floating and Sonication Delay increased extravascular AUC at 0.2 MPa but decreased it at 0.3 MPa. Vessel area was inversely associated with extravasation at the slice level (β = -0.37 per μm2, p = .010), with mouse-level intraclass correlation (ICC = 0.80) indicating dominant between-mouse variability. Microbubble handling and injection-to-sonication timing are potential protocol variables in FUS-BBBO studies. Control-normalized extravascular metrics provide a reproducible framework for vessel-level longitudinal 2-photon quantification.

PMID 42875816
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PubMedPeerJ2026-10-06

Assessment of pleural effusion using intracavitary contrast-enhanced ultrasound: a pilot study.

Tang Dachuan D, Wang Dan D, Li Zhongyu Z, Lu Bohan B et al.

To address the limitations of current imaging modalities, the present study aimed to develop and validate a novel intracavitary contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) approach for the quantitative assessment of pleural effusion (PE) volume and differentiation of exudative PE from transudative PE. This cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study prospectively enrolled 100 patients with PE undergoing US-guided thoracentesis. Intracavitary CEUS was performed using SonoVue microbubbles, and time-intensity curve parameters (A, B, and A+B) were analyzed. PE volume was measured based on the drainage volume, and effusions were classified as exudates or transudates according to Light's criteria. Diagnostic performance was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and a linear regression model was developed to predict PE volume. Exudative PE showed significantly higher baseline intensity parameter B (-35.18 ± 5.17 vs. -41.41 ± 8.64, p < 0.01) and lower peak intensity increment parameter A (1.20 ±  3.27 vs. 6.61 ± 6.10, p < 0.01) compared to transudative PE. The combined parameter A+B (steady-state microbubble concentration index) showed a strong correlation with PE volume (r = 0.912, R 2 = 0.831), yielding the predictive model: V(mL) = -33.345 × (A+B) - 453.071 (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.950). The ROC analysis revealed moderate diagnostic accuracy for the A value (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.779) and B value (AUC = 0.719) in differentiating exudative PE from transudative PE. Intracavitary CEUS could serve as a reliable, minimally invasive, feasible radiation-free adjunctive technique for quantifying PE volume and differentiating exudative versus transudative PE in patients undergoing thoracentesis. The A+B-based regression model provides high predictive accuracy, while A and B values facilitate effusion classification. This quantitative CEUS workflow may facilitate clinical decision-making, and its utility for serial monitoring requires further verification in large-scale real-world cohorts.

PMID 42835785
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