ArticleNature2018
Acoustic reporter genes for noninvasive imaging of microorganisms in mammalian hosts.
Article in Nature, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 188 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
188 citing papers in PubMed, 402 citations in OpenAlex.
- Advances and perspectives in genetically encoded biosensors for biomarker detection and theranostic circuits.Synthetic and systems biotechnology · 2027Review
- Trimodal ultrasound imaging of brain-tumor interaction.iScience · 2026Article
- Systems engineering of engineered live biotherapeutics: A discovery-to-translation framework for streamlining microbiome therapeutic development.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2026Review
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- Harnessing the nonthermal effects of ultrasound for cancer treatment: From mechanisms to applications.Smart molecules : open access · 2026Review
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- Endothelial Continuum and Capillary Specialization in Pulmonary Vascular Development.Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology · 2026Review
- Engineering microbial consortia for distributed signal processing.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Multifiber Array-Based Photometry System for Multiregional Functional Mapping in the Mouse Brain.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Article
- Cavitation behaviors of genetically engineered bacterial protein nanoparticles induced by pulsed ultrasound.Ultrasonics sonochemistry · 2026Article
- Real-time volumetric imaging of cells and molecules in deep tissues with Takoyaki ultrasound.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Review
- Acoustic delivery of indocyanine green via biosynthetic gas vesicles for tumor photothermal therapy.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Gas vesicle-expressing human pluripotent stem cells enable multimodal ultrasound and optical coherence tomographic imaging.BMC biotechnology · 2026Article
- Illuminating the path to oncolysis: rise of microbial phototherapy.Journal of nanobiotechnology · 2026Review
- Ultrasound-Responsive Engineered Bacteria for Targeted Cancer Therapy: Strategies, Mechanisms, and Applications.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- LIFUS-driven engineered bacteria reprogram immunosuppressive niches via mechano-NOTCH signaling.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- Screening and Evaluation of Chassis Cells for Heterologous Biosynthesis of Gas Vesicles as Ultrasound Contrast Agents.Marine drugs · 2026Article
- Attenuated Bacteria-Based Tumor Therapy: Clinical Application Risks, Marketing Approval Restrictions, and Coping Strategies.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Tumour-resident oncolytic bacteria trigger potent anticancer effects through selective intratumoural thrombosis and necrosis.Nature biomedical engineering · 2026Article
128 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The mammalian microbiome has many important roles in health and disease, and genetic engineering is enabling the development of microbial therapeutics and diagnostics. A key determinant of the activity of both natural and engineered microorganisms in vivo is their location within the host organism. However, existing methods for imaging cellular location and function, primarily based on optical reporter genes, have limited deep tissue performance owing to light scattering or require radioactive tracers. Here we introduce acoustic reporter genes, which are genetic constructs that allow bacterial gene expression to be visualized in vivo using ultrasound, a widely available inexpensive technique with deep tissue penetration and high spatial resolution. These constructs are based on gas vesicles, a unique class of gas-filled protein nanostructures that are expressed primarily in water-dwelling photosynthetic organisms as a means to regulate buoyancy. Heterologous expression of engineered gene clusters encoding gas vesicles allows Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium to be imaged noninvasively at volumetric densities below 0.01% with a resolution of less than 100 μm. We demonstrate the imaging of engineered cells in vivo in proof-of-concept models of gastrointestinal and tumour localization, and develop acoustically distinct reporters that enable multiplexed imaging of cellular populations. This technology equips microbial cells with a means to be visualized deep inside mammalian hosts, facilitating the study of the mammalian microbiome and the development of diagnostic and therapeutic cellular agents.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.