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Key Points The fifth NYC Neuromodulation Conference was held July 31 – August 4, 2024 in New York City.  Fourteen presentations and posters showcased focused ultrasound neuromodulation.  BrainSonix sponsored a workshop on transcranial focused ultrasound.  The 2024 NYC Neuromodulation Conference took place July 31 – August 4 at the City College of New York. The meeting brought together hundreds of researchers, clinicians, and engineers to discuss the latest clinical findings and technical advances in neuromodulation.    Focused ultrasound was discussed in three invited talks and five posters chosen for oral highlights. In addition, a special session titled “Brain, spine, and bioelectric ultrasound” featured four focused ultrasound talks. Two more posters included focused ultrasound research as well. The research presented covered various applications of focused ultrasound neuromodulation including pain, depression, immune modulation, and pulmonary hypertension.  Focused Ultrasound Presentations  Precision neuromodulation of autonomic circuits presented by Stavros Zanos, MD, PhD  Vagus nerve modulation of a B cell response to antigen presented by Betty Diamond, MD  Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) enhances bio-integration of microelectrodes presented by Takashi Koza, PhD  Why transcranial ultrasound? presented by Vince Clark, PhD  Transcranial focused ultrasound – cell-type selectivity and capability to enable bidirectional BCI presented by Bin He, PhD  Ultrasound for inflammation and pain presented by Stavros Zanos, MD  Focused ultrasound neuromodulation of cortical and subcortical brain structures presented by Elisa Konofagou, PhD  Trans-spinal low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation for the treatment of chronic pain presented by Weiguo Song  Functional ultrasound (fUS) reveals neurovascular response coupled with motor response evoked by focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation in mice   presented by Seongyeon Kim  Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) modulates microglial activation following intracortical microelectrode implantation presented by Vanshika Singh  Noninvasive deep brain stimulation presented by Jan Kubanek  Focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the spleen ameliorates experimental pulmonary hypertension by specific alterations of immune cell populations in the blood and lungs presented by Alexandra Bekiaridou  Focused Ultrasound Posters  Characterization of ultrasound neuromodulation using an in vitro neuroglial model presented by Laura Nuttin  Safety and tolerability of repetitive low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in a patient with reatment-refractory depression: a first-case report presented by Gustavo dos Santos Alves Maria  Industry Participation  BrainSonix sponsored a Morning Workshop, titled “Getting started with tFUS, from the basics to common challenges.”  Search the Meeting Program  Sign up to receive notifications about On-Demand Conference Content  

Key Points AAIC 2024 was held in Philadelphia from July 28–August 1.  Researchers from Columbia University presented a talk and a poster.  More than 8,000 members of the Alzheimer’s Association scientific community gathered in Philadelphia – plus an additional 4,000 virtually – for AAIC 2024. The meeting was held from July 28 through August 1, and it is widely attended by clinicians and industry professionals because it has a clinical focus.  The focused ultrasound research group at Columbia University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering that is led by Elisa Konofagou, PhD, presented a talk and a poster at the meeting. Rebecca Noel, PhD, Daniella Jimenez, MS, and Amy Shteyman (a third-year medical student at Columbia) all attended AAIC from Dr. Konofagou’s laboratory.  The presentation described some of the group’s preclinical studies on gene expression in the hippocampus after delivering a compound across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) with focused ultrasound. In one set of experiments, the focused ultrasound treatment group showed significant improvements in gene expression levels, particularly in pathways related to amyloid beta clearance, metabolism, and neurogenesis, as compared with healthy controls.  “My talk generated significant interest, particularly regarding the effects of amyloid-related-imaging-abnormalities (or ‘ARIA’) in ongoing clinical trials,” said Dr. Noel. “After the session, several members of the audience approached me with questions about focused ultrasound projects and potential collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. Many of the attendees had never heard about focused ultrasound, so it was exciting to be the one to introduce them to our technology!”  “The meeting was exciting, but it was clear that focused ultrasound is novel for the attendees,” added Ms. Jimenez. “So it would be good to have a larger presence from our community in the future.”  “When I learned about Dr. Konofagou,’s research, I could tell it was the future of medicine…so I wanted to be involved,” said Ms. Shteyman. “My poster highlighted my project looking at the effects of focused ultrasound on gene expression in healthy neurons and in neurons from an Alzheimer’s disease model.”  Drug Discovery and Delivery Session Presentation  Preliminary Evidence for the Combined Efficacy of Focused Ultrasound Blood-Brain Barrier Opening and Delivery of a Novel Anti-Amyloid Re Complex for Memory Improvement in a 3xTg-Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model by Rebecca L Noel, MS, Samantha L Gorman, BS, Alec J Batts, MS, Despoina Tsakri, MD, Daniella A Jimenez, MS, Maria Pelecanou, PhD, Marina Sagnou, PhD, and Elisa E Konofagou, PhD from Columbia University, New York, NY, USA, and the National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos,” Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece  Poster  Characterizing the Effects of Focused Ultrasound Therapy in Healthy and Alzheimer’s Disease Neurons by Amy Shteyman, Rebecca L Noel, MS, and Elisa E Konofagou, PhD, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA  The Foundation thanks the Columbia research team for assistance with this meeting report.  Search the AAIC Meeting Program  

Key Points A clinical trial in pet dogs demonstrated the safety and feasibility of treating brain tumors with histotripsy.   Co-funded by the Foundation and the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation, this study supports the development of transcranial histotripsy systems for both human and canine patients.  A unique collaboration between human and veterinary neurosurgeons and a team of engineers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico C. Besta, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the University of Michigan recently published the results of a landmark clinical trial using histotripsy to treat brain tumors in three pet dogs.  All three dogs were diagnosed with meningiomas, the most common type of primary brain tumor. The tumors were partially treated through a craniotomy, followed by imaging and surgical resection. The team noted that the histotripsy ablations were successful in all three dogs and the treatment was generally well tolerated.  Afterward, the patients were followed for 42 days. At the end of the trial, two dogs showed no signs of remaining tumor tissue while one had progressive disease. Furthermore, one dog’s preexisting cerebral edema was exacerbated after treatment, although it was unclear whether this was attributable to the histotripsy treatment.  Immunological and genomic analyses were performed on the resected tumors. These tests found evidence that the treatment triggered changes in the expression of certain proteins, antigen presentation, and other inflammatory responses. Given the similarities in pathology and genetics between human and canine tumors, these data could be used to inform future studies combining histotripsy with immuno- or chemotherapies.  “Brain tumors represent a significant unmet clinical need in both human and canine patients, but the cost and complexity of developing a transcranial histotripsy system has hampered progress,” said John Rossmeisl, DVM, at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. “The intra-operative approach used here offers the ability to establish the safety and feasibility of histotripsy ablation in the brain while simultaneously informing technical requirements for future systems.”  “This project is a great example of what the Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Veterinary Program is all about,” added Kelsie Timbie, PhD, the Foundation’s veterinary program manager. “Experts from around the world worked together to develop a way to treat canine patients while also collecting data that will help human patients and accelerate equipment development.”  Read “First-In-DOg HISTotripsy for Intracranial Tumors Trial: The FIDOHIST Study” in Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment (open source)  Related Stories  Artificial Cranial Window Being Researched to Facilitate Ultrasound Brain Treatments 

Key Points The 2024 Histotripsy Symposium was held June 17–19 in Minneapolis, MN.  A comprehensive lineup of presentations and posters showcased the ongoing preclinical and clinical development of the technology.  The 2024 Histotripsy Symposium took place from June 17–19 in Minneapolis, MN. It was hosted by the University of Wisconsin. Clinicians, engineers, researchers, and industry representatives met to discuss and advance the emerging field of histotripsy—a noninvasive focused ultrasound technique.  Timothy Hall, PhD, one of the original developers of histotripsy at the University of Michigan, delivered the Charles Cain Keynote Lecture. In “The Year in Review with a Look to the Future,” Dr. Hall shared future directions for histotripsy, including how instrumentation and applications are evolving and how histotripsy is evolving in cancer treatment and immuno-oncology.  The symposium’s themed sessions featured additional prominent speakers, including Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, president of Samaritan Health Initiatives. See the full program.   Beyond listening to the invited speakers, attendees engaged in hardware and software demonstrations, poster presentations, and a tour of HistoSonics.  Histotripsy is being developed in both clinical and preclinical settings. The 11 oral abstracts and 27 posters presented at the symposium illustrated the expanding applications of histotripsy, from targeted cancer therapies and osteosarcoma ablation to novel applications in biofilm disruption and bone tissue research. Each abstract is listed below by topic.  Immune Oncology Abstracts (2)  The impact of histotripsy dosages on tumor control and immune response in a murine melanoma model by Reliza McGinnis, student, University of Michigan  The Effect of Transcranial Histotripsy Dosage on Immune Cell Infiltration in Murine Glioblastomas by Sarah Duclos, BME PhD Student, University of Michigan  Technology Abstracts (5)  A Pre-Clinical MR-Guided All-in-One Focused Ultrasound System for Murine Brain Studies by Tarana Parvez Kaovasia, University of Michigan  Advancing CBCT-Guided Histotripsy with Injectable X-Ray Visible Pseudotumor Targets for Preclinical Research by Katrina Falk, University of Wisconsin  Evaluation of Histotripsy in the Ureter and Renal Pelvis in a Porcine Survival Model by Adrienne Kisting, MS, University of Wisconsin  Bandwidth Limited, Large Aperture, Active Acoustic, Spatio-Temporal Mapping (BLAST) of Multi-Bubble Cavitation Events by Mahmoud Komaiha, University of Michigan  Tissue Selective Liver Ablation – Towards Decellularization: An Ex Vivo Parameter Study by Sara Elnahhas, Virginia Tech  Developing Indication Abstracts (4)  Histotripsy for the Treatment of Oral Tumors: A Canine Ex Vivo Feasibility Study by Victor Lopez, Virginia Tech  Histotripsy of the Stomach Wall and Liver in an Acute Swine Model by Meridith Kisting, MA, University of Wisconsin  A Custom Image-Guided Histotripsy Endoscope for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea by Alyssa Forbes, Dalhousie University  Development of Histotripsy for the Treatment of Osteosarcoma: Findings from Canine Clinical Trials at the Virginia Tech Animal Cancer Care and Research Center by Elliana Vickers, Virginia Tech  Posters (27)  Decalcification of Thinned Rodent Skull for Transcranial Ultrasound Imaging and Histotripsy by Thomas Landry, PhD, Dalhousie University  Applying a Bubble-Removal Pulse to Improve Histotripsy Treatment of Biofilms by Timothy Bigelow, PhD, Iowa State University  Applications of Histotripsy Towards Neuroblastoma by Kenneth Bader, PhD, University of Chicago  Investigating Histotripsy Treatment Damage Monitoring using Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in the In-vivo Murine Colorectal Tumors by Hanna Kim, University of Michigan  Histotripsy Dose Monitoring via Acoustic Cavitation Emissions (ACE) by Scott Haskell, University of Michigan  Histotripsy Under the Microscope by Christina Hendren, University of Michigan  Ultrasound-Guided Histotripsy for Feasibility of Non-Invasive Treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcoma by James Messina, University of Michigan  Soft Tissue Aberration by Ellen Yeats, PhD, University of Michigan  MR-guided Orthotopic Murine Histotripsy System by Ryan Hubbard, University of Michigan  Histotripsy of Gas-Filled Ex Vivo Swine Bowel by Meridith Kisting, MA, University of Wisconsin  Renal Bleeding Events with Histotripsy vs. Cryoablation in a Porcine Survival Model by Allison Couillard, MD, University of Wisconsin  Liver Histotripsy: Jet Ventilation Decreases the Effect of Respiratory Motion in a Porcine Liver Model by John Winterholler MD, University of Wisconsin  Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)–Guided Histotripsy by Katrina Falk, University of Wisconsin  Towards Advanced Treatment Planning for CBCT-Guided Histotripsy: FEM Deformable Liver Registration by Grace Minesinger, University of Wisconsin  Investigation of the Immunomodulatory Outcomes associated with Histotripsy Ablation of Osteosarcoma by Alayna Hay, PhD, Virginia Tech  Design and Development of Single Element Histotripsy Transducers using Rapid Prototyping Methods by Neffisah D’odoo, MS, Virginia Tech  Exploring High PRF Histotripsy Pulsing Methods for the Ablation of Uterine Fibroids by Juliet Suen, Virginia Tech  Comparative Study of Fluid-Filled and Solid Histotripsy Cavitation Agents by Isabel Quintana, Virginia Tech  Histotripsy Ablation of Pancreatic Tumors in an In-Vivo Murine Model Affects the Tumor Microenvironment and Associated Immunological Pathways by Tamalika Paul, Virginia Tech  Histotripsy Treatment of Biofilms on Cobalt-Chrome and Titanium Surgical Implants by Justin Howe, Virginia Tech  Developing Robotically-Guided Histotripsy Systems for the Precise, Complete, and Non-invasive Ablation of Osteosarcoma Tumors by Thomas Lu, Virginia Tech  Nanoparticle-Mediated Histotripsy for the Targeted Ablation of Breast Cancer by Sarah Hall, Virginia Tech  Investigating Histotripsy as a Therapeutic and Immunomodulatory Strategy for Breast Cancer by Ruth Mtuwa, Virginia Tech  Acoustic Properties of an Iron-Based Coupling Medium for MRI-Guided Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Procedures by Nathan Sambo, Virginia Tech  Development of High-Rate, Single-Cycle Histotripsy Methods for Soft Tissue Ablation by Alexander Simon, Virginia Tech  Focused Ultrasound Extraction (FUSE) for Rapid DNA Release from Complex Tissue Matrices by Alexia Stettinius, Virginia Tech  Histotripsy for the Treatment of Oral Tumors: A Canine Ex Vivo Feasibility Study by Dana Wang, Virginia Tech  The next Histotripsy Symposium will be held in 2026.  See the Meeting Website