In a study that has gained the attention of the scientific community and the media, an interdisciplinary group of scientists and clinicians at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, have developed a novel procedure to biopsy brain tumors using focused ultrasound plus microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and release tumor biomarkers into the blood stream, where they can be detected with a blood test.
Although this type of blood-based “liquid” biopsy has been developed for other types of cancer, its use in brain cancer has not been possible due to the integrity of the BBB. In their proof-of-concept study, the team achieved significant results for two different mouse models of glioblastoma. See Focused Ultrasound-enabled Brain Tumor Liquid Biopsy in Scientific Reports >
Watch Dr. Hong Chen Describe the Technique >
See media coverage
- Med Gadget | Noninvasive Brain Tumor Biopsy Using Focused Ultrasound 4/30/18
- RELIAWIRE | Noninvasive Brain Tumor Biopsy Being Developed 4/28/18
- Life Science Daily | Researchers Tout Noninvasive Tumor Biopsy Technique 4/27/18