Myomap is an investigational ultrasound contrast agent for assessment of myocardial perfusion and has been tested in animals to determine infarct volumes in cases of coronary artery occlusion. The deposit microbubbles of Myomap consist of air filled human serum albumin microcapsule with a thick and rigid shell.

Quantison, consisting of air-filled microbubbles with stiff and rigid human serum albumin shells, is an investigational ultrasound contrast agent for the assessment of coronary artery disease.
The stiff shell inhibits the bubbles from oscillating and decrease non-linear scattering. Quantison is capable of long lasting cavity contrast and myocardial opacification using intermittent imaging.

SonoGen (QW7437) is an anionically charged 2% perfluorocarbon emulsion under development as a transpulmonary myocardial ultrasound contrast agent (UCA). The SonoGen microbubbles have a reduced adherence to the negatively charged vascular endothelium and reduced coalescence. SonoGen, a second generation USCA has the theoretical potential to provide high safety and efficacy and improved tissue grayscale persistence compared to first generation fluorocarbon contrast agents.

From Bayer Schering Pharma AG:
Sonovist® (sometimes found as Sonavist) is an investigational ultrasound contrast agent with a biodegradable synthetic capsule filled with sulphur hexafluoride. The biodegradable shell of Sonovist is so stable that it can be taken up by Kupffer cells of the reticuloendothelial system or accumulate in the sinusoids.
Therefore, Sonovist® has an additional hepato-splenic parenchymal phase following the blood pool phase, analog to the superparamagnetic iron oxide agents used in liver MRI. The microbubbles are stationary in this phase and generate no conventional Doppler signals. This tissue-specific phase has a variable duration and can be imaged by bubble specific imaging modes.

Targeted ultrasound contrast agents provide advantages compared with usual microbubble blood pool agents. The goal of targeted ultrasound contrast agents is to significantly and selectively enhance the detection of a targeted vascular site. Tissue-specific ultrasound contrast agents improve the image contrast resolution through differential uptake. Targeted drug delivery via contrast microbubbles is another contrast media concept and provides the potential for earlier detection and characterization of disease.
Targeted contrast imaging provides a higher sensitivity and specificity than obtained with a nontargeted contrast agent.
The detection of disease-indicative molecular signatures may allow early assessment of pathology on a molecular level.
Molecular imaging should be an efficient and less invasive technique to obtain three-dimensional localization of pathology.
Ultrasound agents typically remain within the vascular space, and therefore possible targets include molecular markers on thrombus, endothelial cells, and leukocytes. Targeted contrast agents permit noninvasive detection of thrombus, cancer, inflammation, or other sites where specific integrins or other adhesion molecules are expressed. Adhesion molecules such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides, asialoglycoproteins, or polysaccharides are incorporated into the shell of the microbubble or liposome. After injection into the bloodstream, the targeted agent accumulates via adhesion receptors at the affected site, enhancing detection with an ultrasound system.

See also Acoustically Active Lipospheres, and Tissue-Specific Ultrasound Contrast Agent.