Another ultrasound-based method employed a triple targeting system by integrating an antibody against VCAM-1, antibody against ICAM-1 and a synthetic polymer of the saccharide sialyl Lewis X. The researchers attempted to mimic leukocyte recruitment to the blood vessel wall at the start of atherosclerosis and demonstrated that this approach serves as a suitable imaging probe for early diagnosis of atherosclerosis 134. This evidence concerns the gene VCAM1 and atherosclerosis.