Key Points
- Laurent Leksell, PhD, MBA, founded Elekta AB to commercialize his and his father’s – Lars Leksell’s – inventions in stereotactic surgery and radiosurgery.
- The EU Focused Ultrasound Foundation was established in October 2024 to advance the research and development of the technology throughout Europe.
We are pleased to welcome Laurent Leksell, PhD, MBA, to the EU Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Council. The Council works closely with the Foundation’s team and Board and is crucial in driving the acceleration of focused ultrasound applications in Europe.
He is the son of Lars Leksell who was a Professor of Neurosurgery at Karolinska Institutet and is widely recognized for inventing focused ultrasound. After treating a number of patients, the elder Dr. Leksell abandoned the technology due to challenges with focusing through the intact skull. He then went on to develop a noninvasive alternative, the Gamma Knife®, and sparked the field of radiosurgery.
In 1972, Dr. Laurent Leksell founded Elekta AB to commercialize his and his father’s inventions in stereotactic surgery and radiosurgery. He served as CEO until 2005 before assuming the role of executive director. In 2013, he became chairman of the board and remains the company’s principal shareholder.
Today, Elekta is a leading international medical technology group providing advanced clinical solutions for cancer care and minimally invasive neurosurgery. It collaborates closely with its customers to improve, prolong, and save patient lives. Elekta develops and manufactures sophisticated, state-of-the-art linear accelerators, oncology information systems, and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.
Elekta’s pioneering technologies and software are installed in over 8,000 hospitals worldwide where they are used to treat more than 200,000 patients every day. The company has 4,700 employees in subsidiaries across 45 countries.
In 2007, Dr. Leksell was named Entrepreneur of the Year in Sweden by Ernst & Young. He has also received The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’ (IVA) Gold Medal, Sweden’s Royal Patriotic Society Business Medal, and His Majesty the King’s Medal – which is the highest honor that can be awarded to Swedish citizens.
Dr. Leksell received his MBA and PhD degrees in Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). He was visiting scholar at Harvard Business School and has served as Assistant and Visiting Professor and faculty member at SSE and Insead, Fontainebleau France.
“We are deeply honoured that Mr. Leksell has become a member of our esteemed Council,” said Pascale Broks, development director of the EU Foundation. “His extensive global knowledge and visionary outlook represent a valuable addition to our highly experienced Council. We anticipate a productive collaboration and the advancement of focused ultrasound adoption across Europe.”
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the EU Foundation and its important work to expand the science and role of focused ultrasound and its clinical applications,” said Dr. Leksell. “Focused ultrasound is a unique treatment methodology to treat serious diseases effectively in a fully noninvasive manner. I am convinced its role and importance and its benefits to patients will continue to expand and develop. The EU Foundation is a key contributor to this important effort.”
The EU Focused Ultrasound Foundation was established in October 2024 to advance the research and development of focused ultrasound throughout Europe. The organization has raised more than €1.6 million to date and has received significant publicity in newspapers and on television. Dr. Leksell joins existing Council members Alicia Garcia Herrero, PhD, Maurice van den Bosch, MD, and Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD.
The EU Focused Ultrasound Foundation is independent of, but works closely with, the US-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation by way of sharing common goals and resources to achieve our objectives.