Charlottesville, Virginia, January, 9, 2026 — The Focused Ultrasound Foundation has jointly designated University College London (UCL) and King’s College London (KCL) as a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence. The partnered entities join a global network of institutions advancing the development and adoption of focused ultrasound technology.
UCL and KCL have long been leaders in advancing focused ultrasound for the benefit of patients. The joint designation recognizes their substantial contributions and combined strengths, including aligned therapeutic strategies and collaborative operating models involving clinical research, PhD supervision, resource sharing, and mentorship.
The Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Centers of Excellence program was established in 2009 to recognize and support institutions that are leading the field in the research, development, and clinical adoption of focused ultrasound. As a Center of Excellence, UCL and KCL will work together to accelerate translational research, improve patient outcomes, and serve as a global hub for education, collaboration, and innovation.
“University College London and King’s College London are global leaders in focused ultrasound research and clinical application,” said Neal F. Kassell, MD, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. “Their enthusiasm for collaboration in the service of public health is an inspiring model for institutions worldwide.”
University College London
Many of UCL’s focused ultrasound advancements have been driven by the Ultrasonics Group, an internationally known research unit responsible for breakthroughs in areas such as histotripsy for mechanical tissue ablation, transcranial ultrasound for neuromodulation and neurodegenerative disease, prostate cancer diagnostics, and ultrasound-triggered drug delivery using microbubbles. The Ultrasonics Group is led by Professor Nader Saffari, PhD, and Associate Professor Pierre Gélat, PhD, and Assistant Professor Reza Haqshenas, PhD, who together supervise a cohort of doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists.
UCL’s excellence in focused ultrasound extends deeply into clinical practice, with leaders across oncology, neurosurgery, pediatrics, and hepatobiliary medicine advancing image-guided and therapeutic ultrasound technologies.
Professor Darren Hargrave, MBBS, a consultant pediatric oncologist at UCL’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, has contributed to emerging applications in pediatric neuro-oncology, including ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In functional neurosurgery, Professor Ludvic Zrinzo, MD, PhD, is a national pioneer in MRI-guided focused ultrasound for essential tremor and other neurological disorders, helping to bring noninvasive therapies into routine clinical care.
Professor Brian Davidson, MB ChB MD, FRCS (Eng), FRCPS (Glasg) is accelerating the clinical adoption of focused ultrasound for liver disease and cancer through his leadership in national device trials and his direction of the new HistoSonics Edison clinical service. This work is positioning the UK at the forefront of evidence-based focused ultrasound innovation.
Additionally, Professor Mark Emberton, MD, FRCS, has created an internationally recognized program in prostate cancer that has helped establish focused ultrasound as a leading minimally invasive treatment option, with extensive clinical trial evidence and more than 1,800 patients treated under his guidance.
“This designation reflects more than three decades of sustained innovation in therapeutic ultrasound at UCL and the outstanding contributions of our clinical and scientific partners across the university and UCLPartners.” said Dr. Saffari “This recognition reinforces our commitment to advancing noninvasive, patient-centered treatments and to working collaboratively with colleagues at King’s College London to drive the next generation of focused ultrasound technologies into clinical practice.”
King’s College London School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences
Much of the preclinical focused ultrasound research at KCL has been led by the laboratories of Professor Maya Thanou, PhD, and Associate Professor (UK Senior Lecturer) Antonios Pouliopoulos, PhD.
Professor Thanou has pioneered novel activatable drug-carrier formulations, such as ActNano, for MRI-guided focused ultrasound treatment of brain tumors. Her group is researching focused ultrasound–enhanced therapies for both brain and triple-negative breast cancer, as well as the use of nanodroplets as cavitation agents.
Dr. Pouliopoulos is a leading expert in therapeutic ultrasound for the brain, with more than 13 years’ experience advancing ultrasound-mediated BBB opening for targeted drug delivery. His work has advanced preclinical studies in rodents and nonhuman primates and clinical trials for pediatric diffuse midline glioma.
Together, these laboratories are developing activatable nanoparticles and drug carriers for targeted treatment of pediatric and adult brain tumors. This research has attracted more than £4 million in funding, and the first focused ultrasound clinical trials using novel drug-device combinations for these indications will soon be launched.
Adding to KCL’s expertise is Professor Mark Edwards, MBBS, PhD, BSc(Hons), who has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders. He recently received a grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research to initiate clinical trials of targeted neuromodulation using the BrainBox NeuroFUS system.
“We are grateful to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation for this designation and the ongoing support of our research efforts,” said Dr. Pouliopoulos “It is a testament to the devotion and perseverance of multiple research groups in both institutions. Together, we are on a mission to expand both preclinical and clinical applications of focused ultrasound, and accelerate its widespread adoption in the UK.”
About Focused Ultrasound
Focused ultrasound uses ultrasound energy guided by real-time imaging to treat tissue deep in the body without incisions or radiation. It is FDA-approved in the United States to treat essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, liver tumors, uterine fibroids, pain from bone metastases, osteoid osteoma, lower back pain and the prostate. There are currently 34 indications in various stages of development in the UK and more than 180 around the globe, including Alzheimer’s disease and tumors of the brain, liver, breast, and pancreas. In the UK, focused ultrasound is available through the NHS for the treatment of essential tremor, uterine fibroids and prostate cancer at expert centres, and privately for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease.
About the Focused Ultrasound Foundation
Based in Charlottesville, VA, the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, along with its UK counterpart, was created to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide by accelerating the development of focused ultrasound, a rapidly evolving, noninvasive technology. The Foundation works to clear the path to global adoption in the shortest time possible by organizing and funding research, fostering collaboration, and building awareness among patients and professionals. Since its establishment in 2006, the Foundation has become the largest nongovernmental funding source for focused ultrasound research.