Key Points
- Five recent meetings included focused ultrasound presentations.
- Use the links below to access meeting programs and abstract information.
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting
ASCO 2026 was held May 29–June 2 in Chicago. It is the largest oncology meeting in the world, with more than 44,000 attendees and 7,400 exhibitors. One focused ultrasound presentation was included in this year’s meeting:
- First-in-human study of cavitation-enhanced drug delivery (CEeDD) by sonosensitive particles and focused ultrasound applied to colorectal metastases in the liver by Jeffrey Rubasingham from Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
Next meeting: ASCO 2027 will be held June 4–8 in Chicago.
American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) 2026 Biennial Meeting
With the theme “Bridges of Knowledge,” ASSFN held its 2026 biennial meeting from May 30 through June 2 in Cleveland, Ohio. This conference features keynote, daily plenary, and parallel research and clinical sessions. Suzanne LeBlang, MD, the Foundation’s director of clinical relationships, attended ASSFN 2026, which included a plenary session on advances in lesioning modalities that included several focused ultrasound presentations.
“There was a significant presence of focused ultrasound throughout this conference,” said Dr. LeBlang. “To improve all image-guided procedures, targeting has moved beyond anatomic imaging and tractography to connectomics. With advanced imaging, parts of the thalamus are now key areas to target for a variety of clinical indications, and this deep target is accessible with focused ultrasound.”
The following content will be of interest to the focused ultrasound community:
Breakfast Session
- Novel Indications for Neuromodulation
Plenary Session I. Connectomics in Functional Neurosurgery
- Connectivity-Guided Neurostimulation in Psychiatric Disorders by Ki Sueng Choi
- Patient-Specific Targeting and Stimulation in Movement Disorders by Michael Fox
- Connectomics to Guide Surgical Treatment in Epilepsy by Robert Richardson
- ASSFN Research Awardee: Thalamic Seizure Network Mapping in Patients with Medication-Refractory Epilepsy with Responsive Neurostimulation Targeting the Thalamus by Josue Avecillas-Chasin
Digital Poster Session 1 – Digital Poster Kiosk 1
- Safety and Efficacy of Staged Bilateral Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis by Zachary Twomey
Digital Poster Session 2 – Digital Poster Kiosk 2
- Deep Brain Stimulation after MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Ablation in Essential Tremor: A Report of Three Cases and Review of Literature by Jason Yuen
Thalamic Connectivity and Its Impact on Functional Neurosurgery
- Clinical Applications of Thalamic Modulation by Vibhor Krishna
Advances in Device Engineering and Development
- Engineering Principles Behind Neuromodulation Systems by Timothy Denison
- Emerging Technologies in Device-Based Neurosurgery by Maryam Shanechi
- Regulation, Ethics and Responsible Deployment of Novel Technologies in Functional Neurosurgery by Paul Ford
- Updates on Advocacy Efforts and the Impact on the Future of Neuromodulation by Joshua Rosenow
Novel Device Advances in Functional Neurosurgery
- Ultra High Density Cortical and Depth Systems for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses by Shadi Dayeh
- Neural Cortical Spinal Bridges for Rehabilitation by Andrea Tedeschi
- LiFU as a Neuromodulatory Agent by Can Sarica
- Novel Uses of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) by Jason Schwalb
- Advances in Neural Stimulation for Neurorehabilitation by Douglas Weber
ASSFN Breakfast Symposium
- Responsive Thalamic Neuromodulation for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy sponsored by NeuroPace
Plenary Session 3. Primed for Recovery: Clinical Insights Shaping Neuromodulation in Neurorehabilitation
- Neuromodulation for Neurorehabilitation: Past, Present, Future by Jaimie Henderson
Plenary Session 4. Advances in Biological Therapies
- Introduction to Cell and Gene Therapies: An Overview by Sharona Ben-Haim
- Cell and Gene Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease: An Overview of Current Clinical Trials and Existing Data by Steven Ojemann
- Cell and Gene Therapy for Epilepsy: Current and Future Trials by Kim Burchiel
- Cell and Gene Therapy for Chronic Pain and Other Disorders by Bryan Roth
- Delivery of Advanced Biologics into the Brain: Study Startup and Technical Surgical Considerations by Kunal Gupta
- Biologic Therapies: Future Technology, Routes of Transmission, and Clinical Indications by Paul Larson
- Conclusion and Future Directions by Paul Larson
Digital Poster Session 8 – Digital Poster Kiosk 1
- Long Term Safety and Efficacy of MR Guided Focused Ultrasound Bilateral Capsulotomy for Treatment Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Single Arm Meta Analysis by Khushal Gupta
- Target FUS Software for the Analysis of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Procedures by Hengji Chen
Plenary Session 5. Advances in Lesioning Modalities: HIFU, LITT and Beyond
- Bilateral Parkinson’s Disease: When HIFU is the Right Choice by Michael Kaplitt
- Who Should Be Doing HIFU for Movement Disorders by Clement Hamani
- Optimizing HIFU Lesions: Shape, Size, and Managing SDR by Ahmed Raslan
- Optimizing LITT as First Line Treatment for Epilepsy by John Rolston
- LITT for Insular and Other Deep Tumors by Ian Lee
- HIFU for Psychiatric Disease by Nir Lipsman
Digital Poster Session 10 – Digital Poster Kiosk 1
- Spatial Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery Utilization for Essential Tremor in Chicagoland by Gyung Seol
Parallel Session 8. Role of Lesioning in the Pediatric Population
- HIFU in Cerebral Palsy by Chima Oluigbo
Posters (20)
1308. Safety, Efficacy, and Increased Adoption of Second-Side Staged Bilateral MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound in Essential Tremor by Ian Pyle, Lindsay Knight, Regina Martuscello, Alan Morris, Katie Gant, and Augusto Grinspan
1311. The Effects of Focused Ultrasound Parameters on Balance Scores in the Treatment of Essential Tremor by Andrea Medina, Shouri Bochetty, Shivanshu Kumar, Elliot Neal, Oliver Flouty, and Yarema Bezchlibnyk
1313. Gender Disparities in Surgical Treatment for Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s Disease in the Era of Focused Ultrasound by Manish Ranjan, Vishal Thakur, David Fletcher, Dhairya Lakhani, Ajay Malhotra, Dheeraj Gandhi, Marco Colasurdo, Vivek Yedavalli, Huanwen Chen, Adam A. Dmytriw, and Ann Murray
1315. Using DTI in Targeting MRGFUS for Tremor by Menaka Fry, Sean J. Nagel, Richard Rammo, Pragya Gupta, Jacqueline Chen, Daniel Lockwood, and Stephen Jones
1316. Assessment of Disparities in Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Essential Tremor by Nicole Silva, Ariana Hernandez, Alok Dwivedi, Daniel Roque, and Vibhor Krishna
1317. 7T Task-related FMRI for MRgFUS VIM Targeting and Assessing Outcome by Menaka Fry, Sean Nagel, Richard Rammo, Pragya Gupta, Daniel Lockwood, and Stephen Jones
1318. Risk Factors for Postoperative Adverse Effects in Focused Ultrasound Ablation for Tremor and the Impact of thermal Spot Shaping by Namwoo Cho, Kyungeun Jeon, Haiden Berton, Nicole Silva, Daniel Roque, and Vibhor Krishna
1320. Use of Resting State FMRI in MRgFUS for Movement Disorder by Menaka Fry, Sean J. Nagel, Richard Rammo, Pragya Gupta, Jacqueline Chen, Ajay Nemani, Daniel Lockwood, Mark Lowe, and Stephen Jones
1329. MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in Patients with Skull Density Ratios Below 0.40: A Single Center Experience by Havish Gattu, Nathan Pertsch, Kazuki Sakakura, Jesus Varela, Naomi Bennett, John Rosero, Gyung Seol, and Sepehr Sani
1332. Computer Vision–Based Tremor Assessment During MRI-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy by David B. Botros, Saachi Jhandi, Omid Shoraka, Heather Wisner, Lubdha Shah, and Shervin Rahimpour
1337. National Practice Patterns in Surgical Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor: Neurosurgeon Perspectives on MRgFUS and DBS by Michael Oblich, Joseph Choi, James G. Lyman, James M. Mossner, Erica Cotton, and Joshua M. Rosenow
1345. Staged, Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy: Outcomes in a Large, Prospective Cohort by G. Rees Cosgrove, Young Joon Kim, Jason A. Chen, Mercy H. Mazurek, Melissa M. Chua, Nathan McDannold, and John Rolston
1356. Pivotal Trial Outcomes of Staged, Bilateral Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Pallidothalamic Tractotomy in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease and Design of a Phase IV, Post-Approval Study by Lindsay Knight, Regina Martuscello, Ian Pyle, Alan Morris, Cristina Modak, Augusto Grinspan, and Katie Gant
1357. Ventral Intermediate Nucleus Focused Ultrasound Ablation Outcomes in Essential Tremor with and without Re-Emergent Tremor by Haiden Berton, Haden Ray, Nicole Silva, Daniel Roque, PewThian Yap, and Vibhor Krishna
1358. Outcomes of Dual Target VIM-PTT Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease by Daniel Cleary, Ahmed M. Raslan, Adam Lipson, Delaram Safarpour, Martina Mancini, James Cahill, William Liu, and Brecklyn Beighle
1362. Safety, Efficacy and Lesion Analysis of Repeat Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Tremor Recurrence by Adam Glaser, Melissa M. Chua, Mercy H. Mazurek, Garance Meyer, Nathan McDannold, Andreas Horn, John Rolston, and G. Rees Cosgrove
1365. Real-World Retreatment and Complications after MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Essential Tremor: 30-Day to 3-Year Outcomes by Barbara Buccilli, Diogo Haddad, and Amir H. Faraji
1375. Imaging Characteristics after Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor by Rebecca Calafiore, Katherine Belanger, Liam Sullivan, Stephen B. Tatter, and Adrian W. Laxton
1378. Probabilistic Lesion Mapping Uncovers Novel Thalamotomy Target for MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy by Min Jae Kim, Andrew Chang, Joyce Lee, Pratik Talati, Robert Eisinger, Daniel Barbosa, Iahn Cajigas, Casey H. Halpern, and Liming Qiu
1382. Insights from Real-World Outcomes of MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Pallidotomy for Parkinson’s Disease Following FDA Approval by Liming Qiu, Hatcher Ballard, Andrew Chang, I. Jonathan Pomeraniec, Pratik Talati, Ryan Jamiolkowski, Iahn Cajigas, and Casey H. Halpern
Next meeting: ASSFN 2028 will be held in Tucson, Arizona.
Curing the Epilepsies 2026
On June 8–10, 2026, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and American Epilepsy Society (AES) co-sponsored a conference titled “Curing the Epilepsies 2026: New Horizons.” It was held in person at the Natcher Conference Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and virtually livestreamed via NIH videocast.
This meeting convened just under 500 researchers, clinicians, patients, advocacy groups, industry, and government stakeholders within the epilepsy research community to assess recent advances in basic, translational, and clinical science; identify persistent and emerging gaps in knowledge; and explore high-impact opportunities to accelerate progress across the epilepsy spectrum. AES’s Epilepsy Benchmark Stewards Committee used the meeting to revise its research benchmarks to reflect recent advances and stakeholder input. These benchmarks will anchor the organization’s research directions over the next 5 to 7 years.
“The field is shifting from seizure suppression toward disease modification and prevention, including earlier intervention and personalized treatment strategies,” said Carena Cornelssen, PhD, the Foundation’s director of research funding operations, who attended the meeting. “There is also a trend to incorporate patient-centered outcomes and access considerations earlier in research and in clinical trial design. The attendees also expressed the need for community-wide coordination and infrastructure (e.g., national plans, registries, shared datasets, and stronger translational training) to accelerate progress.”
The following content included or mentioned focused ultrasound:
Session V: Treatments for the Epilepsies
Non-Invasive Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Centromedian Thalamus Suppresses Epileptiform Activity in Mouse Models of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome by Florian Donneger, PhD, from Stanford University
Posters
043. NA Aptamer Potassium Probes for Seizure Foci Identification by John Cressman from George Mason University
See the Meeting Website (Includes Videocast Links)
OptoDBS
Since 2015, OptoDBS has been held biannually to convene optogenetics and neuromodulation researchers for the discussion of deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation, and focused ultrasound stimulation. Its recent goal has been to become Europe’s best neuromodulation conference covering all neuromodulation techniques.
OptoDBS 2026 was held June 10–12 at Campus Biotech in Geneva, Switzerland. While being centered on current therapies for DBS and protocols for addressing pathological neural circuits, it also emphasized the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and addiction.
“I am thankful to Andreas Horn and Christian Lüscher for putting together such an inspiring program combining optogenetics and neuromodulation techniques – including deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and transcranial ultrasound stimulation,” said Jean François Aubry, PhD, Research Director at CNRS, Physics for Medicine Paris. “All these techniques have a lot in common and they will all benefit from the latest advancements presented at the conference by all the speakers.”
Focused ultrasound was included in this year’s program in the following presentations:
Session 2: Methods Development and New Circuit Models
- Tifei Yuan – Ultrasound Stimulation of NAc for Addiction
Session 3: Noninvasive Neuromodulation with Ultrasounds
- Jean-François Aubry – Past, Present and Future of Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation
- Charlotte Luff – Optimized Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation of Brain Reward System Activity and Behavior
- Robert Chen – Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Movement Disorders
- Elisa Konofagou – Image-Guided Neuromodulation and Vasomodulation Towards the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Depression with Focused Ultrasound
- Daniel Razansky – Listening to Light and Seeing Sound in the Brain
- Lennart Verhagen – Ultrasonic Neuromodulation of Human Learning and Decision-Making
International Symposium for Therapeutic Ultrasound (ISTU)
The 25th annual ISTU meeting was held June 15–18, 2026, at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, and virtually. This annual meeting convenes researchers, clinicians, industry professionals, and students from around the world who are working on a wide array of therapeutic ultrasound applications.