February 24, 2022 - Congressional Briefing Urges Research Funding - and more news

February 24, 2022 IN THIS ISSUE Top News | Foundation News | Patient News | Research News | Webinars | Events     Congressional Briefing Urges Policymakers to Support Focused Ultrasound Research On February 22, the Foundation hosted a virtual briefing for US Congressional leaders and their staff. An expert panel discussed three key areas where government support for focused ultrasound could impact patients' lives. In all, more than 300 participants registered for the event, and the recording is now available. READ MORE > Foundation News Thomas A. Scully Joins Foundation’s Council Mr. Scully is a general partner with the most active US private equity investor in healthcare.   He was previously the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.   The Council provides strategic advice, assists with raising funds, and builds awareness.   READ MORE > The Role of Advocacy in Advancing the Field of Focused Ultrasound In this blog post, the Foundation's managing director of government affairs, Jessica Foley, PhD, outlines the organization's advocacy strategy.    The article includes a call to action for the focused ultrasound community to support key legislation in the near future.  READ MORE > Patient News Swann’s Way – A Prostate Cancer Patient’s Journey to Focused Ultrasound Michael Swann was diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer in 2009. After a decade of active surveillance, his cancer progressed, and he was urged to undergo radical prostatectomy. Instead, Michael sought out one of the leading physicians using noninvasive focused ultrasound, and it changed his life. READ MICHAEL'S STORY >  More Patient News If I Needed Prostate Cancer Treatment, I Would Want HIFU | The Times Research News Investigator Profile: Noah Philip, MD Noah Philip, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is researching focused ultrasound–based neuromodulation for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Dr. Philip participated in the Foundation’s recent Congressional briefing. READ MORE >  Focused Ultrasound for Glioblastoma: Italian Clinical Trial is Latest in Global Research Effort A clinical trial in Milan is assessing focused ultrasound–induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening to delay or prevent brain tumor recurrence. Researchers are disrupting the BBB in patients with glioblastoma who are undergoing maintenance chemotherapy. Similar studies are ongoing in the US, Canada, and Korea. READ MORE >  Focused Ultrasound for Prostate Cancer: Favorable Midterm Results Published Newly published clinical data show good results seven years after prostate cancer treatment with focused ultrasound. The multisite study of 1,379 men in the UK with nonmetastatic prostate cancer was published in European Urology. After seven years, all treated patients were metastasis-free, and none died from prostate cancer. LEARN MORE >  Children’s National Hospital Treats the Site’s First Pediatric Brain Patient Children’s National Hospital (CNH) announced the site’s first focused ultrasound brain treatment on a pediatric patient with neurofibromatosis. The treatment was part of a clinical trial funded by the Foundation. CNH became the first pediatric Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence in 2020. READ THE PRESS RELEASE >  VIDEO: CNH USES FUS FOR BRAIN TUMORS >  Foundation-Funded Pancreatic Cancer Study Gains Attention A preclinical study used focused ultrasound plus immunotherapy to improve survival and increase the immune response in a model of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation-funded study took place at the Institute of Cancer Research, which was named the second Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence in 2013. READ MORE >  See media coverage from Medical Xpress, MDLinx, The Science Times, and Open Access Government. Canadian Focused Ultrasound Team Awarded $125,000 Grant for ALS Research Researchers from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Alberta have received a $125,000 Discovery Grant from ALS Canada and Brain Canada. The funding will help advance research for focused ultrasound delivery of promising new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) directly to the brain. READ MORE >  Webinars New Generation Nanobubbles: The Smaller the Better? Friday, February 25, at 1:00 am Eastern Presented by Professor Katsuro Tachibana, MD, PhD Hosted by the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound LEARN MORE AND REGISTER > Sonalleve, an Incision-Free Alternative for the Therapy of Adenomyosis and Uterine Fibroids Wednesday, March 30, at 5:00 am Eastern Featuring Dr. Simon Hubertus, Dr. Kang Zhou, and Dr. Mathieu Lieberatore Hosted by Profound Medical LEARN MORE AND REGISTER > Recent Webinar Recordings Focused Ultrasound Therapy: Improving Patient Care and Lowering Costs | Virtual Congressional briefing hosted by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (59 minutes) Do you have news for our newsletter? Tell us about it!   Upcoming Events March 2-6, 2022 European Congress of Radiology (ECR) | VIRTUAL EVENT  March 12-16, 2022 American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), San Diego, CA April 28, 2022 Virginia Bio THRiVE, Roanoke, VA May 1-4, 2022 Society for Thermal Medicine (STM) 2022 Virtual Annual Meeting | VIRTUAL EVENT  May 5, 2022 Focused Ultrasound Non-invasive Neurosurgery Congress (FUNNC-2022) | VIRTUAL EVENT  June 7-10, 2022 21st Annual International Symposium on Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU), Toronto, Canada and VIRTUAL June 19-23, 2022 15th International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS) Congress, Milan, Italy July 10-14, 2022 American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC