Key Points
- Three new innovation laboratories are focused on bringing together the worlds of ultrasound and spinal cord injury.
- The sites are called HEPIUS (Holistic Electrical, ultrasonic and Physiological Interventions Unburdening those with Spinal cord injury) after the Greek god of medicine and healing.
A celebration for three new innovation laboratories at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) was held virtually on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Named after the Greek god of medicine and healing, the Holistic Electrical, Ultrasonic, and Physiological Interventions Unburdening those with Spinal Cord Injury (HEPIUS) team unites neurosurgeons, biomedical engineers, scientists, radiologists, and other physicians to treat and diagnose spinal cord injuries. The team aims to design and develop a system of systems for a new class of implantable or wearable diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound medical devices to aid acute and chronic spinal cord injury patients.
The grand opening event allowed HEPIUS leaders, collaborators, and colleagues to share a virtual tour of the new research space. The welcome program also included presentations from Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System leadership, department chairs, funders, founders, and laboratory team. HEPIUS will be led by Principal Investigators Amir Manbachi, PhD, and Nicholas Theodore, MD, MS, and a multidisciplinary group of researchers. Collaborators include Sonic Concepts, Columbia University, and MCRA, LLC.
HEPIUS facilities include:
- Clinical ultrasound imaging systems
- Therapeutic ultrasound using neuromodulation and thermal ablation
- Acoustic simulations and pressure field mapping
- Fabrication shop
- Animal models
- A mock intensive care unit
The project received $13.48 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is supported by Hopkins Medicine (specifically the department of Neurosurgery), Hopkins Engineering, Johns Hopkins APL, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital.
Visitors are welcomed for pre-scheduled tours. To schedule a visit, please contact Ms. Geltrouda Demczuk, office manager.