Sonodynamic Therapy Applications in Oncology

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) harnesses focused ultrasound to activate chemical sensitisers, known as sonosensitisers, within tumours, producing cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting selective tumour cell destruction. This non-invasive modality offers deep tissue penetration and spatiotemporal precision, overcoming limitations of conventional photodynamic approaches. Recent advances encompass the design of multifunctional nanomaterials that combine imaging, photothermal enhancement and immune activation to amplify therapeutic efficacy. Integration with immunotherapy and ferroptosis induction has further broadened the therapeutic scope, addressing challenges posed by tumour hypoxia and dense stromal barriers. Ongoing developments aim to translate these innovations into clinically viable platforms for a range of solid malignancies.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of tin monosulfide nanoparticles engineered for a denaturation-and-penetration strategy in desmoplastic triple-negative breast cancer. These nano-sonosensitisers generate ROS under ultrasound and employ mild photothermal effects to disrupt collagen structure, enhance intratumoural penetration and boost cytotoxic T-lymphocyte infiltration, yielding substantial antitumour immunity in preclinical models.

Another work reports near-infrared-phosphorescent carbon dots with long-lived triplet states that facilitate combined imaging-guided SDT. Encapsulation within cancer cell membrane vesicles ensures tumour-specific delivery, while narrow bandgap properties drive efficient electron–hole separation under low-intensity ultrasound. Single-dose administration achieved complete eradication of solid tumours in vivo.

A further innovation highlights the use of a ruthenium(II) polypyridinal complex as a potent sonosensitiser and sonocatalyst. Under ultrasound stimulation, it produces singlet oxygen and oxidises endogenous NADH, enabling precise destruction of deep-seated tumours at tissue depths exceeding 10 cm, thus illustrating the promise of metal complexes in non-invasive sonotherapy.

Sonodynamic Therapy Applications in Oncology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sonodynamic therapy applications in oncology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Oxygen-derived molecules with high chemical reactivity that induce cellular damage under ultrasound activation.
Sonosensitiser: A chemical agent that produces ROS when stimulated by ultrasound.
Ferroptosis: A regulated form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation.
Hypoxia: Reduced oxygen availability within the tumour microenvironment that limits therapeutic response.
Immunogenic cell death (ICD): A mode of cell death that provokes an adaptive antitumour immune response.

References

1. Checkpoint blockade and nanosonosensitizer-augmented noninvasive sonodynamic therapy combination reduces tumour growth and metastases in mice. Nature Communications (2019).
2. Near-infrared phosphorescent carbon dots for sonodynamic precision tumor therapy. Nature Communications (2022).
3. A highly potent ruthenium(II)-sonosensitizer and sonocatalyst for in vivo sonotherapy. Nature Communications (2021).
4. Manganese porphyrin-based metal-organic framework for synergistic sonodynamic therapy and ferroptosis in hypoxic tumors. Theranostics (2021).
5. Red blood cell membrane-enveloped O2 self-supplementing biomimetic nanoparticles for tumor imaging-guided enhanced sonodynamic therapy. Theranostics (2020).
6. Emerging Sonodynamic Therapy‐Based Nanomedicines for Cancer Immunotherapy. Advanced Science (2022).