On April 3, 2024, the Foundation partnered with G2G Consulting to host a congressional briefing to educate policymakers on the potential of focused ultrasound therapy in treating various medical conditions. The briefing featured opening remarks from Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a longtime champion of the technology. Senator Warner shared how focused ultrasound is a priority for the state and highlighted the important research taking place at multiple institutions in the region. Following the Senator’s remarks, four presenters shared a variety of ways in which focused ultrasound impacts the brain: Jessica Foley, PhD, chief scientific officer and managing director of government affairs at the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, provided an overview of focused ultrasound technology, its mechanisms of action, and its potential to treat a wide range of medical conditions. She highlighted the nine FDA-cleared applications and ongoing research in more than 180 clinical applications. Terri Freson shared her story of participating in a clinical trial at the University of Maryland using focused ultrasound ablation to treat neuropathic pain. The treatment significantly reduced her pain levels and improved her quality of life, demonstrating the real-world impact of this technology. Roger Packer, MD, director of the Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute and the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National Hospital, discussed the potential of low-intensity focused ultrasound–induced blood-brain barrier opening in treating childhood brain tumors, particularly diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs). Noah Philip, MD, professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and lead for mental health research at the Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology at VA Providence, presented his research on using low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation to treat depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. “The briefing was an important part of the Foundation’s advocacy efforts, and we urge Congress to support policies that increase research funding and enable timely reimbursement to expand patient access to focused ultrasound,” said Dr. Foley. “By supporting these initiatives, Congress can play a crucial role in accelerating the development and adoption of the technology, ultimately improving patient outcomes and transforming the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions.” More than 150 attendees joined the Zoom link during the presentation, which is now posted on the Foundation’s YouTube Channel. If you would like to become involved in the Foundation’s advocacy efforts, please contact Jessica Foley at jfoley@fusfoundation.org. Watch the Briefing
Key Points The 61st IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IEEE IUS) was held September 3–8, 2023, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. At least 85 of the meeting’s lectures and posters are of interest to the focused ultrasound community. The 61st IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IEEE IUS) was held September 3–8, 2023, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As a premier platform for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to exchange ideas and explore advances in ultrasonics technology, the 1,500 IEEE IUS attendees (1,200 in person, 300 virtual) learned about latest research findings and technological innovations in ultrasonics for health care, materials science, and engineering. The event serves as a catalyst for driving progress and shaping the future of ultrasonics technology and provided networking and collaboration opportunities among participants from academia, industry, and government agencies. Frédéric Padilla, PhD, the Foundation’s Research Director for Applied Physics, attended the conference in person. “With seven parallel sessions, there was always at least one on therapeutic ultrasound, and there were also approximately 600 posters to review,” said Dr. Padilla. “I was also pleased to see a scientist from the US Food and Drug Administration promoting the use of our Therapeutic Ultrasound Reporting Guidelines Recommendations during one of the short courses.” The Foundation sponsored an exhibit booth at the large meeting, which includes ultrasonic imaging, therapeutic ultrasound, biomedical applications that address healthcare challenges, acoustic microscopy and metrology, and ultrasonic sensors and devices. In the therapeutic ultrasound section, focused ultrasound topics included targeted drug delivery, tissue ablation, and noninvasive treatments. Presentations highlighted progress in optimizing treatment protocols, improving targeting accuracy, and minimizing side effects, paving the way for more effective therapeutic interventions. Thought leaders shared insights into emerging trends and future directions in ultrasonics research, including the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for data analysis, the development of miniaturized devices for point-of-care diagnostics, and the exploration of novel transducer materials and fabrication methods. The following 85 lectures and posters will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community (search words included HIFU, LIFU, LIPUS, focused ultrasound, and histotripsy). Additional topics, especially specific types of technical research, can be found by searching the program guide. Elisa Konofagou, PhD, co-chaired the meeting, and Nir Lipsman, MD, PhD, gave an invited talk titled, “MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound in the Human Brain: Lessons Learned from Early Clinical Trials.” Meaghan O’Reilly, PhD, and David Melodelima, PhD, taught a short course titled, “Therapeutic Applications of Focused Ultrasound: From Biophysics to Clinical Application.” Short Courses Therapeutic Applications of Focused Ultrasound: From Biophysics to Clinical Application by Meaghan O’Reilly and David Melodelima Hydrophone Measurements for Biomedical Ultrasound Applications by Andrew Hurrell, Sam Howard, Peter Lewin, Srinath Rajagopal, Keith Wear, and Volker Wilkins. All of the short courses are described at https://2023.ieee-ius.org/short-courses. Lectures Session A1L-03: MCA: Therapy and Drug Delivery. Chair(s): Klazina Kooiman (Erasmus) An Optical and Acoustic Investigation of Size-Isolated Bubble Behavior in Small Channels Under Therapeutic Ultrasound Conditions by Xiaoxiao Zhao2, Amin Sojahrood1, Alex Wright1, and David Goertz2 from 1Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada; and the 2University of Toronto, Canada Intravital Imaging of Focused Ultrasound–Stimulated Nanodroplets in Tumour Microvasculature by Carly Pellow2, Amin Jafari Sojahrood2, Xiaoxiao Zhao2, Michael Kolios3, Agata Exner1, and David Goertz2 from 1Case Western Reserve University, USA; 2Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada; and 3Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada Session A3L-03: MTN: Theranostic Treatment Monitoring. Chair(s): Tali Ilovitsh (Tel-Aviv University), Raag Airan (Stanford University) Assessment of the Focused Ultrasound Induced Thermal Lesion Size Using Multi-Frequency Single Transducer Harmonic Motion Imaging by Md Murad Hossain, Xiaoyue Li, Yueying Qiu, and Elisa Konofagou from Columbia University, New York, USA Monitoring of Tissue Coagulation Treated by Continuous HIFU with Pulse Inversion Shear Wave Elastography by Wei-Cheng Hsiao and Bao-Yu Hsieh from Chang Gung University, Taiwan Session A5L-01: Invited Session: Advances in Clinical Ultrasound. Chair(s): Elisa Konofagou (Columbia University) MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound in the Human Brain: Lessons Learned from Early Clinical Trials by Nir Lipsman from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Canada Session A5L-03: MTH: Cavitation Based Therapy Chair(s): Zhen Xu (University of Michigan), Mathieu Pernot (INSERM) Degrading Blood Clots by Histotripsy within Millimeter Size Hollow Cylindrical Transducers for Use in Enhancing Aspiration Thrombectomy by Li Gong2, Alex Wright1, Kullervo Hynynen1, and David Goertz1 from 1Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada; and the 2University of Toronto, Canada Volumetric Nanodroplets-Enhanced Ultrasound Surgery Combined with Immunotherapy as a Cancer Therapy Platform by Bar Glickstein and Tali Ilovitsh from Tel Aviv University, Israel Ultrasonic Cavitation–Enhanced Stem Cells Transplantation to Improve Prognosis of Ischemic Stroke by Wei Dong2, Guihu Wang2, Wenjuan Li2, Yingxue Liang2, Heyuan Liu2, Mingxi Wan1, Yujin Zong1, and Zongfang Li2 from the 1School of Life Science and Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China; and 2The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China Grey and White Matter Focused Ultrasound–Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in a Porcine Model by Alessandro De Maio2, Yuexi Huang1, Fa-Hsuan Lin2, Greg Stanisz2, and Meaghan O’Reilly2 from 1Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada; and the 2University of Toronto, Canada Transcriptomic Investigation of Bioeffects from Microbubble and Focused Ultrasound–Assisted Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption by Jane Song2, Payton Martinez2, Kangho Song2, Francis Garay1, Toni Mufford1, Adam Green1, Nataile Serkova1, and Mark Borden2 from the 1University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado, USA; and the 2University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, USA Session B1L-03: MTH: Drug Delivery. Chair(s): Kullervo Hynynen (University of Toronto) Ultrasound-Enhanced Delivery of Urolithin a Alleviated Motor Dysfunction in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by Kaili Chen, Yiluo Xu, Ji Zhang, Xin Chen, Siping Chen, Yanyan Yu, and Yuanyuan Shen from Shenzhen University, China Focused Acoustic Vortex–Mediated Sonochemotherapy for the Amplification of Immunogenic Cell Death Combined with Checkpoint Blockade to Potentiate Cancer Immunotherapy by Zhen Ya, Shifang Guo, Yan Li, Mingting Zhu, Yujin Zong, and Mingxi Wan from the School of Life Science and Technology at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China Evaluation of Immune Activation of Drug-Loaded Oxygen Microbubbles Induced Vascular Normalization in Pancreatic Cancer by Yi Jia Zhou and Yi Ju Ho from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan LIPUS Promotes Chitosan and Prussian Blue Nanoparticle Absorption for Tissue Elasticity Recovery in Rats with Acute ...
Researchers from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and the School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech recently published results from two clinical trials investigating the use of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) neuromodulation for the treatment of pain.
Alzheimer’s disease impacts 6 million Americans, but focused ultrasound could offer hope. This blog by the Foundation’s Director of Clinical Relationships explores how focused ultrasound is now being investigated as a revolutionary therapy that could offer hope to patients.
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