December 2013: Happy Holidays and more...

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  Focused Ultrasound Foundation   Accelerating the development
and adoption of focused ultrasound


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FUSF Newsletter
December 2013
 
Learn more about the Symposium

Also in this issue

FOUNDATION NEWS:

4th Quarter Research Awards
Foundation Featured in Philanthropy Journal

RESEARCH NEWS:
FUS Featured at RSNA 2013
Promising Breast Cancer Treatment Results

INDUSTRY NEWS:

First Commercial ExAblate Neuro Treatments in Israel

MEDIA COVERAGE:
Ultrasound devices market and more...

EVENTS:

February 3-6, 2014, ESHO Winter School, Devon, UK
April 2-5, 2014, ISTU, Las Vegas, NV
May 6-10, 2014, STM, Minneapolis, MN
 
 

Happy Holidays!

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to focused ultrasound and for your support and collaboration with the Foundation and the community. Looking back at the past year, momentum is clearly building for the field. Together we have achieved several new milestones.

The research community is doing innovative work. The level of progress shown at October's Rome meeting was exciting, and the incredible spirit of cooperation between scientists has made it possible to explore previously untested ideas. We look forward to our 2014 Symposium for further presentations, data, collaborations, and discussions that create real progress.

While we are proud of what has been accomplished, our work is far from over. Our sense of urgency drives us to continue our work to bring this cost-effective treatment to patients as soon as possible. Together we are creating a positive force for change in the lives of millions of patients who suffer from debilitating and life threatening medical conditions.

Be well,

Neal F. Kassell, MD
Chairman

 
  FOUNDATION NEWS  
 


Researchers who are interested in funding opportunities from the Foundation's External Research Awards Program can review the program requirements and application instructions here.

 
4th Quarter Research Awards


The Foundation's External Research Awards Program has approved two new proposals for funding. One project is from the high-risk track, and the other is from the clinical indication track.

The high-risk project is led by Zhen Xu, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan and will study the use of the mechanical effects of focused ultrasound to break up the blood clots that cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the legs. Entitled "Image-guided Non-invasive Ultrasonic Thrombolysis Using Histotripsy," Dr. Xu and her team will study the use of the mechanical effects of focused ultrasound to break up the blood clots that cause DVT, which affects two million Americans annually and is currently being treated with methods that are extremely invasive or that carry a risk for bleeding. This project will be funded for one year.

The clinical indication project is a pilot study in pediatric osteoid osteoma led by Michael Temple, M.D., at SickKids Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Temple's research, entitled "Magnetic Resonance—Guided Focused Ultrasound for Noninvasive Pain Therapy of Osteoid Osteoma in Children - A Pilot Study," will assess pain, medication usage, and quality of life before and after treatment in 10 children.

 

 
Foundation Featured in Philanthropy Journal

The Philanthropy Journal, an online site for the philanthropic community, recently featured an article by the Foundation on our approach as a model for other nonprofits to accelerate adoption of medical technology.

As Dr. Neal F. Kassell states in the article, "Given the potential of focused ultrasound, we cannot just resign ourselves to the fact that revolutionary medical technologies face numerous scientific, regulatory, cultural, and financial barriers that delay access and lead to unnecessary death, disability, and suffering for patients around the world. For patients with unmet medical needs, the clock is ticking, and the stakes are high. Can a philanthropic organization accelerate medical technology innovation and progress? The answer is yes."

 
 

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  RESEARCH NEWS  
 


 

 
Focused Ultrasound Featured at RSNA 2013


Focused ultrasound research presentations made an impressive showing at this year's Radiologial Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting. A remarkable 27 sessions featured research on focused ultrasound ablation and/or drug delivery to treat many different diseases, including breast cancer, bone metastases, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, uterine fibroids, and osteoid osteoma.

In addition to being highlighted at a press conference, research was presented in the poster sessions, oral presentations, and one controversy session. The number of presentations this year was nearly twice as many as were presented last year. A list of all 27 sessions can be found on our website.

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Alessandro Napoli, M.D., Ph.D. is using focused ultrasound to treat breast cancer patients


 
Promising Results of FUS Breast Cancer Study Featured at RSNA Press Briefing


Results of a study presented at the Radiologial Society of North America (RSNA) annual meeting on December 4th suggest that MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) may offer a safe, noninvasive treatment option for breast cancer. These results were among a select few chosen by RSNA to be featured at their national press briefing.

Dr. Alessandro Napoli, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology at Sapienza University in Rome, presented the results of his study on 12 patients with invasive ductal breast cancer. All patients were treated with MRgFUS, and post-treatment, histological evaluation confirmed the absence of residual disease in the treatment area in 10 patients.

Though this study is part of early stage research, Dr. Napoli is hopeful that focused ultrasound will one day be a treatment option for women with breast cancer.

The press briefing garnered wide media coverage, with the story picked up by many news outlets, including Science CodeEx, The Sacramento Bee, News-Medical.net, and MedicalExpress.com

Read RSNA's official press release.

Other Focused Ultrasound Breast Research

Additional research is being conducted around the world on

Other Focused Ultrasound Breast Research

Additional research is being conducted around the world on
breast cancer and breast fibroadenoma. For example, collaboration between Philips and Utrehcht University Medical Center in the Netherlands is using an innovative system that has been designed specifically to treat breast tissue. For a brief synopsis of these projects, go to our website.

READ MORE ►

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  INDUSTRY NEWS  
 

 

 
First Commercial ExAblate Neuro Treatments in Israel


The first two commercial essential tremor procedures have been performed at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. Subsequent to the media coverage of this event, the hospital has received hundreds of inquiries from patients who would like to be evaluated for the treatment.

The Israel Ministry of Health approved InSightec's ExAblate Neuro system for commercial treatment in Israel in October. The procedure is also approved in Europe, and a pivotal trial is being conducted in the United States for Food and Drug Administration approval.

Patients can now include Israel in the list of places where this procedure is available. Dr. Ilana Schlesinger, Department of Neurology Head of Movement Disorders, Prof. Menashe Zaaroor, Director of the Neurosurgery Department, and Prof. Dorit Goldscher, Director of MRI, are collaborating to conduct the treatments.

The November 26th Rambam press release can be found here.

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  MEDIA COVERAGE  
 

Ultrasound Devices Market (2D, 3D & 4D, Doppler, HIFU, ESWL) Worth $8.1 Billion by 2017 - New Report by MarketsandMarkets on NewsDay.com 12/5/13

MRgFUS — Looking Beyond Uterine Fibroids on Radiology Today 12/2/13

Uterine Fibroids: Early Diagnosis Means More Treatment Options on Everyday Health 11/22/13

Ultrasound, Nanoparticles May Help Diabetics Avoid the Needle on NanoTechnology Now 11/21/13

MRI and high intensity focused ultrasound to destroy uterine fibroid tissue on Hospital Healthcare Europe 11/21/13

MRI- test as non-invasive study procedure for uterine fibroids on Health and Beauty News 11/17/13


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  EVENTS  


CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

January 13, 2014 ISTU Poster Presentations Due
The 14th International Symposium of Therapeutic UltrasoundISTU 2014 will be held April 2-5, 2014 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, NV. The complete program is available on the meeting's webpage. The deadline for poster presentations is January 13, 2014. New this year -- a whole day of educational courses, both clinical and basic science tracks, with CME credit available.

January 15, 2014 STM Abstracts Due
The Society for Thermal Medicine (STM) is now accepting poster and oral presentation abstracts for their 31st Annual Meeting, "STM 2014: Expanding Our Range," to be held May 6-10, 2014 at the Marriott City Center, Minneapolis. The meeting will cover all areas of thermal medicine with added emphasis on low to high temperature thermal therapies and ablation methods. The conference will include keynote presentations in thermal biology, nanotechnology, and imaging. All abstract submissions must be submitted online by January 15, 2014.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

February 3-6, 2014—European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO) School, Huntsham Court, Huntsham, Devon, UK
"Hyperthermia & Thermal Ablation in Cancer Therapy"
This multi-disciplinary ESHO school is suitable for those who are new to the fields of hyperthermia and thermal ablation, and for those who feel the need for an update or refresher course. Lectures from well-known experts on biology, physiology, physics, & clinical applications will provide participants with a better understanding of the field, especially outside the areas of their immediate expertise. Ultrasound, radiofrequency and microwave heating sources will all be discussed. This ESHO School will take place in beautiful Huntsham Court in South West England. Participants can register for the 3-day program including full board at the special price of € 500. The number of places is restricted so act fast and register today with Gail ter Haar (gail.terhaar@icr.ac.uk). For more information go to http://www.esho.info/. Directors: Gerard van Rhoon (NL), Gail ter Haar (UK), Hans Crezee (NL), Mike Horsman (DK)

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