Focused Ultrasound-Released Brain Tumor Biomarkers Could Replace Biopsy

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In a study that has gained the attention of the scientific community and the media, an interdisciplinary group of scientists and clinicians at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, have developed a novel procedure to biopsy brain tumors using focused ultrasound plus microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and release tumor biomarkers into the blood stream, where they can be detected with a blood test.

Although this type of blood-based “liquid” biopsy has been developed for other types of cancer, its use in brain cancer has not been possible due to the integrity of the BBB. In their proof-of-concept study, the team achieved significant results for two different mouse models of glioblastoma. See Focused Ultrasound-enabled Brain Tumor Liquid Biopsy in Scientific Reports >

Watch Dr. Hong Chen Describe the Technique >

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