A collaborative research team led by Allison Payne, PhD, and Pejman Ghanouni, MD, PhD, recently completed a Foundation-funded research project to develop a novel skin cooling device that can be used with multiple focused ultrasound systems.
The device aims to mitigate skin heating during the application of focused ultrasound, a potential side effect when treating large tumors and/or tumors near the skin. Researchers hope that the developed system can both expand the range of clinical indications that can be treated by focused ultrasound and increase the safety and efficiency of current applications.
In “Open Source Skin Cooling System for Focused Ultrasound Applications,” the team sought to design and develop an open-source, reproducible device that could mitigate skin burns when performing focused ultrasound thermal ablation near the skin or where focused ultrasound energy encounters superficial bone near the skin. The convective device includes a cooling pad (pictured at right) and vacuum-based pump for water circulation that maintains a safe skin temperature during treatment.
“This innovative yet inexpensive system is relevant for any focused ultrasound company, clinician, or researcher performing superficial treatments,” said Emily White, MD, the managing director of FUS Partners. “We are pleased to have funded the project to make it available as an open source tool to the entire community.”
The project’s open source documentation, including design specifics and assembly instructions, has been uploaded to the FocUS Archive, the Foundation’s preprint server in the Center for Open Sciences.
Read the final publication from the International Journal of Hyperthermia >