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Governor Youngkin learned about focused ultrasound and how Virginia is advancing the field. The University of Virginia and Virginia Tech are leading the state in research for a variety of disorders and veterinary applications.

The Foundation’s Associate Chief Medical Officer, Lauren Powlovich, MD, recently wrote a blog post for the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) called “Focused Ultrasound for Brain Tumors: Hope for the Future of GBM.” The blog provides an overview of the current state of focused ultrasound for glioblastoma (GBM) – a highly aggressive and deadly brain tumor. Dr. Powlovich outlines the current ways in which focused ultrasound is being employed as an adjunct or complement to traditional therapies: opening of the blood-brain barrier, sonodynamic therapy, and radiation sensitization or enhancement. She also addresses the various devices that are being developed to treat the disease. Read the Blog Post

Key Points The Foundation recently hosted a live virtual event featuring Taiwan-based NaviFUS Corporation. NaviFUS’ innovative devices are in clinical trials to address glioblastoma and epilepsy. The company’s CEO Arthur Lung, PhD, and two physicians leading the clinical trials presented during the event. Taiwan-based NaviFUS Corporation recently provided a live virtual update for philanthropists, investors, and the focused ultrasound community. NaviFUS is dedicated to helping patients with neurological diseases such as glioblastoma (GBM) and epilepsy by providing novel focused ultrasound platform solutions to open the blood-brain barrier and enhance drug delivery and neuromodulation. Last year, the company won an Edison Award in the Science & Medical Outpatient Treatment category for their “NaviFUS Focused Ultrasound System.” This win marked an important step for the company toward gaining global recognition and validated the technology’s potential to transform the care of many brain disorders. During the virtual event, the company’s CEO, Arthur Lung, PhD, presented many of the unmet clinical needs that NaviFUS aims to address and explained how the company’s devices can be used in an outpatient setting. Two leading clinicians, Dr. Kuo-Chen Wei and Dr. Hsiang-Yu Yu, also discussed their groundbreaking clinical projects using NaviFUS devices. Dr. Wei, from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center Department of Neurosurgery, is exploring the use of focused ultrasound for GBM. His work shows promise in using NaviFUS devices to noninvasively deliver drugs directly to the tumor site, potentially improving treatment outcomes for patients. Dr. Yu, from the Division of Epilepsy at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, is investigating the use of focused ultrasound for epilepsy. By targeting specific areas of the brain, Dr. Yu’s work with NaviFUS devices could provide a noninvasive alternative to traditional surgery for some patients with epilepsy, reducing the risk of complications and improving quality of life. “We want to thank NaviFUS for sharing how their technology could offer hope for GBM and epilepsy patients,” said Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD. “We look forward to spotlighting more device manufacturers and sharing the innovative technologies that are impacting patients around the world.”  

The Foundation has released its annual Year in Review Report for 2022. Readers can learn about milestones in the field of focused ultrasound and highlights from the Foundation’s accomplishments over the past year. The report also highlights global research breakthroughs, commercialization trends, and more. We encourage you to read the report and share it broadly. Read the Report