Starting with its first thought-leaders’ meeting in March 2009, the FUS Foundation’s Brain Program has
rapidly evolved into an international, multi-stakeholder initiative that is sponsoring research vital to the rapid advancement of MR-guided focused ultrasound.
The program, which aims to accelerate clinical availability of reimbursable FUS treatments for neurological disorders, such as brain tumors (gliomas, metastases, meningiomas and pituitary) and essential tremor, has drawn participants from all leading organizations in the focused ultrasound field.
The program, which aims to accelerate clinical availability of reimbursable FUS treatments for neurological disorders, such as brain tumors (gliomas, metastases, meningiomas and pituitary) and essential tremor, has drawn participants from all leading organizations in the focused ultrasound field.
The Foundation began formally organizing its Brain Program in 2009 after receiving a $1 million anonymous donation. Staff member Eben Alexander, M.D., became Director of Clinical Programs for the initiative, and two biomedical engineers – John Snell, Ph.D. and Matt Eames, Ph.D. – came on board as the program’s Technical Director and Senior Project Engineer, respectively.
Infrastructure for the program includes a seven-member Brain Advisory Committee, a Data Safety Monitoring Board and steering committees for brain tumors, movement disorders and epilepsy. The program has also organized work groups for intracerebral hemorrhage/intraventricular hemorrhage, ischemic stroke and neuromodulation. (Membership lists appear below.)
To pave the way for needed clinical research, the Brain Program is currently sponsoring a number of technical projects, including:
- Remote Effects Measurement
- Remote Effects Simulation
- Relationship of Skull Properties to Acoustic Focus
- ICH Clot Atlas
- MR Visualization of Arterial Thrombus/Embolus
- MR-based Focusing
- MR Bone Imaging
- Skull Base & Vault Targets
- FUS Head MR Coil
- Non-thermal Detection of Tissue Viability
- Treatment Envelope Simulation
- Deep Brain Stimulator Electrode FUS Compatibility
During 2010, the program will sponsor preclinical research addressing intracerebral hemorrhage sonothrombolysis and ischemic stroke parameter selection and safety studies. Clinical trials this year will include brain tumors (metastases and gliomas) and essential tremor.
Brain Advisory Committee
Neal F. Kassell, MD, Chairman, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Ferenc Jolesz, MD, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Dade Lunsford, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Edward Oldfield, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jacques Souquet, PhD, Supersonic Imagine, Aix en Provence, France
Mickael Tanter, PhD, Inserm, Institut Langevin, Paris, France
Eyal Zadicario, BSc, MSc, Insightec, Triat Carmel, Israel
Data Safety Monitoring Board
Howard M. Eisenberg, MD, Chairman, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
William G. Bradley, MD, PhD, FACR, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA
Robert Grossman, MD, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
Brain Tumor Steering Committee
Edward H. Oldfield, MD, Chairman, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Arthur Day, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
R. Loch MacDonald, MD, PhD, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Javier Fandino, MD, Universities of Berne and Zurich and Kantonsspital Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland
David Schiff, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
James C. Torner PhD, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
J. Pablo Villablanca, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Movement Disorders Steering Committee
G. Frederick Wooten, MD, Chairman, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Antonio DeSalles, MD, PhD, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
William Jeffrey Elias, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Daniel Jeanmonod, MD, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
Andres Lozano, MD, PhD, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
James C. Torner, PhD, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
J. Pablo Villablanca, MD, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Epilepsy Steering Committee
William Jeffrey Elias, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Mark S. Quigg, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
James Rutka, MD, PhD, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
James C. Torner, PhD, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
J. Pablo Villablanca, MD, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Intracerebral Hemorrhage/Intraventricular Hemorrhage Working Group
Mario Zucarello, MD, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Sagi Harnof, MD, Sheba Medical Center, Israel
Stephen Meairs, MD, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Stephen Monteith, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Andrei Alexandrov, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Kullervo Hynynen, PhD, Sunnybrook Medical Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
Christy Holland, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Daniel Hanley Jr., MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Ken Wagner, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Guohua Xi, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Ischemic Stroke Working Group
Thilo Hoelscher, MD, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA
Andrei Alexandrov, MD, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Christis Damianou, PhD, Frederick University, Cyprus
Joe Broderick, MD, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Daniel Hanley Jr., MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Stephen Meairs, MD, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Steve Warach, MD, PhD, NINDS, NIH Stroke Section, Bethesda, MD
Sagi Harnof, MD, Sheba Medical Center, Israel
Christy Holland, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Jim Torner, PhD, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Eyal Zadicario, MSc, Insightec, Triat Carmel, Israel
John Gaughen, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Ricky Medel, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Bill Culp, MD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AK
Karen Johnston, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Neuromodulation Working Group
Sasha Bystritsky, MD, PhD, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Anders Brahme, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Claude Cohen-Bacrie, Supersonic Imagine, Aix en Provence, France
William Jeffrey Elias, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Pierre Mourad, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Kim Butts Pauly, PhD, Stanford University, Pal Alto, CA
Ioannis Pechlivanis, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Mark Quigg, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Shy Shoham, PhD, The Technion Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Mickael Tanter, PhD, Institut Langevin, Paris, France
W. Jamie Tyler, PhD, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Beat Werner, MSc, University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland
Seung-Schik Yoo, PhD, Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Eyal Zadicario, MSc, InSightec, Triat Carmel,Israel
Written by Ellen C., McKenna