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FOUNDATION NEWS
RESEARCH NEWS
INDUSTRY NEWS
MEDIA COVERAGE
EVENTS
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| Preclinical Research Demonstrates Potential for Treating Epilepsy |
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| FORTUNE Publishes Double Feature on Focused Ultrasound |
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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.
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| Immunotherapy Panel Added to Symposium |
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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.
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"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
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| Foundation’s Council Meets to Advance Mission |
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| Jane Batten and Neal Kassell |
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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.
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| Council tour at the UVA Center of Excellence |
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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.
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Hector Lopez, PhD
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| In Memoriam: Focused Ultrasound Research Advocate, Hector Lopez |
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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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"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
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| Foundation-Supported Study May Help Pave the Way for Lung Cancer Treatment |
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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.
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Elena Rosca, PhD; James Drake, MSc; Kenneth Bader, PhD; and Pejman Ghanouni, MD had projects funded
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| 2nd Quarter Research Awards: Four New Studies Funded |
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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 ►
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| Research Roundup |
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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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| InSightec Expands ExAblate Treatment into China |
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Do you have industry news for our newsletter? Tell us about it!
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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
Do you have an event to list in our newsletter? Tell us about it!
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Focused Ultrasound Foundation | 1230 Cedars Court, Suite F | Charlottesville VA | 22903
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