Background
University of Virginia, Class of 2024
Project
Focused Ultrasound and the Abscopal Effect
Project Overview
I conducted a literature review on the abscopal effect and focused ultrasound. The abscopal effect is the ability of localized treatment to initiate an antitumor response that kills cancer cells distant to the primary target. I developed a survey to gather data from clinical and preclinical researchers who have observed the abscopal effect in their studies. The goal was to collect detailed information on focused ultrasound parameters, study areas, and other relevant factors to enhance our understanding of the abscopal effect after focused ultrasound treatments.
Project Outcomes
Although many questions remain, our results indicate that current studies showing the abscopal effect predominantly used focused ultrasound for mechanical tissue destruction. It was already known that focused ultrasound could inhibit tumor outgrowth at treated sites, but when combined with immunotherapies, particularly checkpoint inhibitors, tumor regression was also observed at distal, untreated sites. A few studies also reported tumor regression after focused ultrasound treatment alone on a primary tumor.
Why were you initially interested in working with the Focused Ultrasound Foundation?
Before I started my internship, I was already involved with focused ultrasound studies at the University of Virginia as an undergraduate research assistant and had completed my undergraduate thesis on focused ultrasound and combinational immunotherapies on breast cancer. After spending a year and a half on the bench side, I wanted to gain more experience with the technology from a more practical and real-world perspective.
What was the most important learning point of your internship experience?
I had the chance to attend Capitol Hill visits with Jessica Foley, PhD, the Foundation’s managing director of the cancer immunotherapy program and government affairs, and to meet with policymakers to advocate for making focused ultrasound technology more accessible to patients. This experience taught me the importance of bridging the gap between scientific advancements and public policy to ensure that this innovative technology reaches those in need.
What new skills or knowledge did you gain during your internship?
During the literature review, I had to dive deeply into immunology, a field for which I previously had limited knowledge. By the end of the project, I was able to make basic connections between immune cells, markers, and their functions in the related studies. I say “basic connections” because immunology is a vast and complex area with many unknowns.
How will your accomplishments impact the field of focused ultrasound?
The abscopal effect, although rarely observed, holds great promise for advancing cancer immunotherapies. By understanding the conditions under which the effect occurs, researchers can gain insights into systemic immune responses following immunotherapies combined with focused ultrasound technology. This knowledge may help researchers improve these treatments and enhance their efficacy, especially for highly metastatic cancer types.