Key Points
- Thomas Tiennot, a PhD student at Physics for Medicine Paris, was awarded a Grand Prize in the i-PhD contest, which recognizes research that could lead to the creation of a start-up company.
- His research is focused on using a custom, 3-D printed acoustic lens coupled with a single ultrasound transducer for transcranial neuromodulation in patients with drug-resistant depression.
- Physics for Medicine Paris is a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence and is led by Mickael Tanter, PhD, and Jean-François Aubry, PhD.
Thomas Tiennot, a PhD student at Physics for Medicine Paris, was awarded a Grand Prize in the i-PhD contest for his research using focused ultrasound to treat depression.
The i-PhD contest, which was initiated by the French Government in 2019, recognizes PhD students whose research could lead to the creation of a deeptech start-up company. Applicants spanned the full range of scientific fields, including chemistry, agriculture, environmental science, and healthcare. Tiennot’s project was the only one to use focused ultrasound.
Tiennot’s project – which was developed during his PhD thesis – involves using a custom, 3-D printed acoustic lens coupled with a single ultrasound transducer for transcranial neuromodulation in patients with drug-resistant depression. The team – under the supervision of Mickael Tanter, PhD, and Jean-François Aubry, PhD – developed a fully integrated device that uses real-time neuronavigation to ensure proper positioning.
Physics for Medicine Paris was named a Focused Ultrasound Center of Excellence in 2019. The site is led by Professors Tanter and Aubry, a previous Focused Ultrasound Foundation fellow.
“This award is a great achievement for Thomas and the entire Physics for Medicine Paris team,” says Prof. Aubry. “The next steps will be to launch a company that will bring to market a device using 3-D printed acoustic lenses for transcranial, precise and deep ultrasonic neurostimulation.
Meanwhile, Physics for Medicine Paris will continue to optimize the ultrasound parameters for effective and sustained effects, and we look forward to sharing our very latest results at the Foundation’s Symposium in October.”