June 2014: Preclinical Research Demonstrates Potential for Treating Epilepsy and more...

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NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2014
 
 
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FOUNDATION NEWS

FUS Featured in FORTUNE
Immunomodulation Panel Added to Symposium
Foundation Council Meets
In Memoriam: Hector Lopez

RESEARCH NEWS
New Lung Cancer Study in Germany
2nd Quarter Research Awards
Research Roundup

INDUSTRY NEWS
InSightec Expands ExAblate Treatment into China

MEDIA COVERAGE
New Scientist features Sunnybrook FUS research and more…

EVENTS

July 15-16 Converge Healthcare Innovation Summit
October 10-11 Interventional MRI Symposium
October 12-16 FUSF Symposium
 
Preclinical Research Demonstrates Potential for Treating Epilepsy

Results of preclinical studies conducted by the Foundation in collaboration with researchers at the University of Virginia and the Swedish Neuroscience Institute demonstrate that it may be feasible to treat certain types of epilepsy noninvasively with focused ultrasound (FUS). Investigators assessed the ability of FUS to reach and ablate the targets for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and hypothalamic hamartoma utilizing cadavers and skulls filled with gel to mimic the brain.   Further technical development is needed to reduce treatment time and the potential for skull heating.



Targeting the brain's amygdala/hippocampus
"We are very encouraged by these preclinical findings," said Stephen Monteith, MD, neurosurgeon at Swedish. "It is still early days, but we are hopeful that we are on the path toward developing FUS as a way of achieving freedom from seizures without having to undergo the risks of surgery."

This work is supported through a partnership between the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and the Epilepsy Foundation.  The research is being conducted in two phases, starting with preclinical studies to establish technical feasibility followed by a trial in patients to determine clinical feasibility and safety.

 
  FOUNDATION NEWS  
 

 
FORTUNE Publishes Double Feature on Focused Ultrasound


FORTUNE magazine has published two articles on focused ultrasound. "This is Your Brain on Surgical Sound Waves" appears in the June 30th print issue. It chronicles the early development of MR-guided focused ultrasound and highlights its use for prostate cancer, brain surgery, and drug delivery.

The online story, "Five Ways Focused Ultrasound is Changing Medicine," covers applications for noninvasive surgery, relieving pain, opening the blood-brain barrier, cleaning arteries, and treating hypertension.

FORTUNE reports the technology is trapped in a "slow-moving medical system" that requires advocates like the Foundation to speed progress.
 
 
 


 
Immunotherapy Panel Added to Symposium


Can focused ultrasound catalyze the immune response to cancer? Alone? In combination with immunotherapy agents? To explore these questions, the Foundation’s upcoming Symposium will feature its first panel on Enhanced Immunotherapy.

Led by moderator Elizabeth (Betsy) Repasky, PhD, from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, panelists will discuss their preclinical and clinical experience using the thermal and mechanical effects of focused ultrasound and other modalities to induce or enhance the immune response. Additionally, they will share what is needed to further advance this important field. Don’t miss this intriguing conversation! Register to join us today >

Taking place in October, the Symposium will offer a multifaceted exploration of current and future applications of the technology and feature plenary sessions, panel discussions, poster presentations, and exhibits.

LEARN MORE ►

 
 
 

"We have a dedicated group of Council members with a range of experiences and perspectives that contribute to the success of our mission. We all left the meeting with a better understanding of progress being made in the field, challenges that remain and how we can help."
– Council co-chairs Charlie Seilheimer and Jane Batten

 
Foundation’s Council Meets to Advance Mission

Jane Batten and Neal Kassell

On June 4, the Foundation’s Council convened in Charlottesville for its biannual meeting. The Council, comprised of community and business leaders from across the country, plays an integral role in our awareness and fundraising efforts. These goodwill ambassadors work closely with the Foundation's Chairman, Board of Directors, and team to share our story, promote our mission, and connect us with important stakeholders.

The group met to review the state of focused ultrasound technology, receive an update on Foundation programs, and discuss strategies for broadening support.



Council tour at the UVA Center of Excellence

The Council toured the UVA Focused Ultrasound Center, met our summer interns, and heard presentations from staff members about recent research awards, reimbursement and patient advocacy initiatives, and our communications strategy.

 

 

Hector Lopez, PhD

 
In Memoriam: Focused Ultrasound Research Advocate, Hector Lopez

The field of focused ultrasound lost a friend and champion with the passing of Dr. Hector Lopez earlier this week.

As Program Director in the Division of Applied Science and Technology at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), Lopez directed the extramural ultrasound research portfolio, most recently concentrating on ultrasound imaging and therapy application. He believed in the potential of focused ultrasound and was integral in securing funding for FUS research, including the work of Tyrone Porter at Boston University to improve the efficiency of image-guided focused ultrasound tumor ablation. "I personally believe that two of the three grants I received were in large part due to the dedication and support of Hector Lopez," said Porter. "He was a major proponent of biomedical ultrasound and image-guided interventions, committing his time and energy to supporting research in these areas."

Dr. Lopez was also a friend of the Foundation, traveling to Charlottesville to visit the Foundation offices and the UVA Center. He regularly attended our biennial symposia, gleaning the latest updates on translational and clinical advances in the field. We are saddened by the loss of this great ally.

READ HIS BIOGRAPHY ►

 

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  RESEARCH NEWS  
 

"We are grateful to the Foundation for funding our study, which will enable us to determine the possibilities and limitations of MR guidance and thermometry in the flooded lung."
– Thomas Lesser, MD, Director of Lung Cancer Center/Middle Germany

 

 

Foundation-Supported Study May Help Pave the Way for Lung Cancer Treatment


Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, using focused ultrasound (FUS) to treat these tumors has not been viable to date. The air in the lungs makes it impossible for ultrasound to penetrate the lung tissue and destroy the cancerous areas. Innovative researchers in Germany, however, are laying the groundwork for the technology to potentially treat this devastating illness by flooding the diseased lung with degassed fluid to enable FUS ablation of tissue.

The Foundation is funding a preclinical study to assess the feasibility of this lung-flooding approach in the MR environment. This research builds upon the team’s previous work demonstrating the ability to ablate lung tissue using ultrasound-guided FUS. The investigators believe MR-guidance could improve the quality of treatment by providing enhanced imaging contrast of lung tumors and enabling thermal monitoring.


 

Elena Rosca, PhD; James Drake, MSc; Kenneth Bader, PhD; and Pejman Ghanouni, MD had projects funded

 

 

2nd Quarter Research Awards: Four New Studies Funded


The Foundation’s External Awards Program is pleased to announce that it has funded four new projects for the 2nd quarter of 2014. The topics are varied across several indications and include:

  • immunomodulation and tumor ablation
  • pediatric brain disorders
  • histotripsy collaboration with FDA
  • treating lower back pain

Represented institutions include the University of Hull in the United Kingdom, SickKids Hospital in Toronto, the University of Cincinnati, and Stanford University School of Medicine. A complete list of previously funded projects and instructions to apply for these awards are available on our website.

READ SUMMARIES OF THE FUNDED PROJECTS ►


 

 

 

Research Roundup


Important advances in the field of FUS have been plentiful this month—so much so that we could not pick one or two to feature. Instead, we include a roundup of recently published research on these topics:

  • Focused ultrasound-enhanced Doxorubicin Delivery to Glioblastomas Prolongs Survival in Mouse Models
  • Essential Tremor Thalamotomy: Practices and Clinicoradiological Outcomes
  • Phase Shift Nanoemulsion Ablation of Tumors
  • Boiling Histotripsy in an In Vivo Setting
  • FUS Treatment of Primary Hyperparathyroidism
  • Cost-effectiveness of Uterine-Preserving Procedures

READ STUDY BRIEFS AND ACCESS JOURNAL LINKS ►


 


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  INDUSTRY NEWS  
 

 

 

 

InSightec Expands ExAblate Treatment into China


InSightec recently announced that Shanghai First People's Hospital, Huashan Hospital, and Fudan Cancer Center are the first centers in China to offer ExAblate treatment for uterine fibroids. All three centers are located in Shanghai. A list of locations currently treating uterine fibroids worldwide can be found on the Fibroid Relief website.


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  MEDIA COVERAGE  
 

Opening the article with "It's neuroscience’s final frontier. Tiny bubbles will open the blood-brain barrier to sneak drugs into tumours – and we might treat Alzheimer's the same way," New Scientist describes Dr. Kullervo Hynynen’s Foundation-funded focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier microbubble research at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto:  Human brain's ultimate barrier to open for first time on www.newscientist.com and on the i09 Blog 6/18/14

Other Stories:

MRI-Guided Ultrasound Relieves Pain of Bone Metastases on www.OncLive.com 6/19/14

Medic's pride as new cancer treatment is rolled out across the country on www.basingstokegazette.co.uk 6/16/14

More than one option when fighting fibroid tumors on www.ky3.com, the NBC Affiliate in Springfield, Missouri 6/11/14

HIFU for Prostate Cancer an 'Experimental Therapy' on www.medscape.com 6/11/14

Redo High Intensity Focused Ultrasound May up Urinary Symptoms on www.hcplive.com 6/6/14 and on www.medicalxpress.com 6/5/14

UVa & Johns Hopkins Team Up to Deliver Better Brain Cancer Treatment on http://inthecapital.streetwise.co 6/5/14

U.Va. Engineer Developing Delivery Platform for Better Brain Cancer Treatment on UVAToday 6/4/14

Focused Ultrasound Eases Metastases Pain on www.medicalphysicsweb.org 5/28/14

Blasting Drugs into Your Brain with Ultrasound: Is This the Future of Chemotherapy? on www.extremetech.com 5/27/14


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  EVENTS  


CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Submit abstracts for the Focused Ultrasound Foundation's Symposium Current and Future Applications of Focused Ultrasound 2014. The deadline is July 14, 2014.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

July 15-16, 2014 MedCity Converge Summit for Healthcare Innovation, Philadelphia, PA

October 10-11, 2014 10th Interventional MRI Symposium, Leipzig, Germany

October 12-16, 2014 Focused Ultrasound Foundation 4th International Symposium, Bethesda, MD

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