BBB Research Teams

Published:

Scientists at leading institutions across the globe are continually working to define and refine the technological parameters that enable the opening of the BBB with focused ultrasound. Throughout the past year, we have profiled several of the institutions, engineers, and individual researchers who are advancing this important application of the field. Read more about the teams at:

  • Sunnybrook Research Institute
  • Columbia University
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • The University of Virginia
  • The Queensland Brain Institute
  • The University of Maryland

 

Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto has grown into a translational research powerhouse, helping to advance the field of focused ultrasound in both the laboratory and the clinic. It is led by pioneering physicist Kullervo Hynynen, PhD, who has been conducting research in the field for more than 30 years, has over 300 publications, and was instrumental in the development of the first clinical system for MR-guided focused ultrasound.
READ THE PROFILE >

Elisa Konofagou, PhD, is Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University and director of the Ultrasound Elasticity Imaging Laboratory (UEIL). Her group is investigating neurological and cancer applications. 
READ HER PROFILE > 
WATCH HER MARCH 2015 WEBINAR >

Nathan McDannold, PhD, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital has put tremendous effort into studying all of the brain applications of focused ultrasound. He was one of the first researchers to use it to open the BBB.
READ HIS PROFILE >
WATCH A VIDEO ON THE ORIGINS OF HIS WORK >

Richard Price, PhD, at the University of Virginia Focused Ultrasound Center, and Justin Hanes, PhD, at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Nanomedicine, are developing and delivering nanoparticles deep into the brain with the assistance of focused ultrasound.
READ THEIR PROFILES >
WATCH A VIDEO >

Jürgen Götz, PhD, is combining focused ultrasound, immunology, and medications to study Alzheimer’s disease. His group at the University of Queensland has already made significant contributions.
READ HIS PROFILE >

The University of Maryland’s pioneering Neuroscience Center in Baltimore is poised to become a leading hub for focused ultrasound research. They recently began clinical trials to treat patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s dykinesia.