Figure 1: FUS-facilitated viral delivery of ChR2 protein and safety evaluation.
From: Non-invasive, Focused Ultrasound-Facilitated Gene Delivery for Optogenetics
(a) Experimental schematic and the targeted brain region was precisely located by identifying the lambda suture through shaved scalp. (b) The timeline for our technique. Subjects first received systematic injection of microbubbles and viral vectors, followed by FUS sonication. The BBB opening was confirmed via MRI and the animals were allowed to survive for 2 weeks. The bioactivity of the expressed ChR2 was evaluated by performing optical stimulation at the targeted area. (c) Signals collected from a passive cavitation detector (PCD): top panel shows the spectra of pre-microbubble injection signals, while ultra-harmonic signals (e.g. black arrow) indicate ongoing cavitation events. (d) BBB opening confirmation with contrast-enhanced MRI in hippocampus (top panel) and cortex (bottom panel) and the corresponding ChR2 expression (red, last column).
