Home Diseases and Conditions Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

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Development Stage

Early Stage

Focused ultrasound research is in the laboratory phase and is not yet available for patients.

Clinical Trials

Focused ultrasound for this condition is being researched in clinical trials.

International Approval

Focused ultrasound is approved to treat this condition outside the US. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating international sites.

FDA Approved

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved focus ultrasound for this condition. Patients can seek commercial treatment at participating sites.

Early Stage

Clinical Trials

International

FDA Approved

Focused ultrasound research for this condition is in the laboratory phase and is not yet available for patients.

Focused Ultrasound Therapy 

Focused ultrasound is a rapidly evolving, therapeutic technology that could transform the quality of life and decrease the cost of care for patients with respiratory distress syndrome. This novel technology focuses beams of ultrasound energy precisely and accurately on targets deep in the body without damaging surrounding normal tissue. 

How it Works 

Where the beams converge, pulsed focused ultrasound produces an enhanced homing of injected umbilical stem cells, which can enhance the treatment of this disease. These stem cells can then mature to aid in the success in treating this disease. The work was done in a preclinical setting, and  there is still much to be done before this technology will be widely available. 

The primary options for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome include medications and respiratory support.  

For certain patients, focused ultrasound could provide a non-invasive addition to conventional care.  

Advantages 

  • Focused ultrasound is non-invasive, so it does not carry added concerns like surgical wound healing or infection.  
  • Focused ultrasound can reach the desired target without damaging surrounding tissue. 
  • It can be repeated, if necessary. 

Clinical Trials 

At the present time, there are no clinical trials recruiting patients for focused ultrasound treatment of respiratory distress syndrome.  

The Foundation updates these pages regularly, but with the increasing number of clinical trials, we want to be sure that our audience has the latest information available. Therefore, we also added the website search information for the above trials. If you click here, it will take you to the latest information available from https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/.  

Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement  

Focused ultrasound treatment for respiratory distress syndrome is not yet approved by regulatory bodies or covered by medical insurance companies. 

Notable Papers 

Wang BY, Zhang X, Li TT, Qin WW, Liu X, Lu KM, Sun LX, Han W. Ultrasound assisted homing of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells promotes recovery from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2025 Jul 26;16(1):407. doi: 10.1186/s13287-025-04545-6. PMID: 40713863  

Wang Y, Wang H, Tan J, Cao Z, Wang Q, Wang H, Yue S, Li W, Wang D. Therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stem cells and their derived exosomes in diseases. Mol Biomed. 2025 Jun 4;6(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s43556-025-00277-4. PMID: 40465163 

Click here for additional references from PubMed.