Clinician Researcher Receives NIH Grant for Focused Ultrasound Targeting Research

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Key Points

  • Vibhor Krishna, MD, has received an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate focused ultrasound ablation of the ventral intermediate (VIM) nucleus.
  • Dr. Krishna is an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

Vibhor Krishna, MD, an associate professor in the department of neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina (UNC), has received an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to optimize focused ultrasound ablation of the ventral intermediate (VIM) nucleus.

The $2.2 million grant will enable Dr. Krishna to research the use of tractography – an imaging technique to visually represent nerve tracts within the brain – to identify the VIM nucleus and its boundaries, standardize focused ultrasound delivery, and develop novel imaging sequences to monitoring the entire treatment.

“We are honored to receive research funding from the National Institutes of Health and are excited about the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals suffering from essential tremor,” said Dr. Krishna. “I am grateful to my mentors, collaborators, and the clinical and research staff.”

Dr. Krishna has been researching this technique – a tractography-based approach to better identify targets in the brain – since 2014. His earlier work was published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, and Movement Disorders. The hope is that optimizing these new imaging sequences can lead to better outcomes, and eventually be applied to other brain targets in the treatment of essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease. The Foundation has supported Dr. Krishna’s research in this area.

In 2019, Dr. Krishna led a workshop – hosted by the Foundation – on tractography as a targeting tool for transcranial focused ultrasound treatments.

Read UNC’s Coverage >

Learn More About the Grant >

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